Stolen Gold
by Reawakened Princess
Summary: Oriana was a lonely young woman who one day is swept off into the demon realm by the dashing rogue, Youko Kurama. He is looking for a companion to fill a void in his life but not love. It seems that the thief king got more than he bargained for. OCXYouko
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen Gold**

Chapter 1

This is a new story that I have been thinking about for sometime. This tale will continue into the Yu Yu Hakusho time line eventually but it will be altered slightly for the sake of this new character. Also I gave this story the M rating because there will be sex scenes in this story. You have been warned as I will **not** mark chapters or sections with these scenes. This will not be my first M rated story so don't worry. Please enjoy this tale of a human woman and her love for the dashing king of thieves.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.

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Trees flew passed the two men at high speeds. Behind them there were twenty armed demons chasing them. Readjusting the sack on his back, the silver haired fox demon hurried faster alongside his partner. He loved the chase but knew that he needed to find a place to hide soon. These guards were relentless and would not give up until the two thieves were in their clutches.

"Youko, do you see that ahead?" the bat demon asked.

The king of thieves smirked when he caught sight of what his partner pointed out. "A portal to the human world. What luck."

As quickly as they could, the two bandits leaped through the portal, disappearing from their pursuers' view. Youko and Kuronue landed in a wooded area at the edge of someone's backyard. In front of them was a large two story house with beige siding. The backyard held bushes covered in plastic for the winter and empty trellises. Orange and red leaves littered the ground having yet to be raked.

"Maybe there is something worth stealing here," the fox demon wondered out loud.

Shaking his head the black haired demon remarked, "Haven't you stolen enough for the day?"

Chuckling Youko responded, "There is no such thing, my friend. Besides it will give us something to do while we wait for our pursuers to disperse. It is a human's home. There is nothing to be concerned about, Kuronue."

The bat demon was about to object when the door on the side of the house opened. Before they could be spotted, the two outlaws hid behind the tool shed. Peeking around the sides they saw a young woman in her early twenties with long brown hair with a red tint. She was dressed in a dark purple sweater that hung loosely on her body and black jeans. This woman had a little bit of a protruding stomach and round bottom from most likely eating junk and being a couch potato. When she drew closer, the demons could see that she had a kind and lovely face and large beautiful green eyes. In her hand she carried a bag of bird seed. They watched as she sang softly while she filled nearby bird feeders that hung from the trees.

Oriana had lived on her own for the past two years. Her parents had died in a very bad car accident and left everything to her in their wills. She could have moved into a smaller house but she loved her family's home far too much. The woman managed the dwelling well enough on her own, but the loneliness always managed to creep in. She did not have many friends, none of them very close and no living family members left. She felt very alone in the world though she never showed it.

Every morning, as her mother had done, she filled the bird feeders and left nuts for the squirrels. This was very routine for her, however today would be far from routine. After Oriana fed the animals she went back inside to waste some time watching television before work.

"That girl is a diamond in the rough," Youko said with a grin.

"What would you do with her?" the bat questioned curious of his friend's intentions.

"I thought I could use a companion of sorts, and a female would be most preferred."

"Why her though? You could have any demoness you want."

"Something about this one intrigues me. Like any gem she'll clean up with some polishing, Kuronue. Now lets go collect some treasure."

The lock on the door was easily picked and inside they found the woman sitting on the couch. When she caught sight of them, Oriana jumped to her feet to face them.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned bravely, her eyes intense.

"You see, Kuronue, she's a spirited one too," the silver fox demon said with a grin befitting his kind, "We've come for you, my little blossom."

He reached out for her only to have her knock his hand away before she bolted further into the house. The woman did not get far though. Youko caught up without any effort and held her tightly against his body. Oriana tried with all of her might to free herself, but her human strength was nothing against a demon's. Not to mention he towered over her by a good foot and a half. The fox demon pulled a blue flower from his hair and held it in front of the woman's nose and mouth. She inhaled the scent of the flower and lost consciousness. Youko hoisted the woman onto his shoulder while his partner took the bag of loot. Certain that it had been long enough, the bandits returned to the portal. Youko kept the flower over the woman's nose and mouth because the air of the demon plane would kill her. The flower acted as a filter at least until they reached the hideout where the thief king's plants that surrounded the property would take over.

They reached the hideout within a jungle of Youko's various plants after a short time. The hideout was actually an old stone castle that the band of thieves made their own. When they entered the building they were greeted by their fellow thieves who were dining in the large mess hall. Yomi, a demon who nearly resembled a human except for his large pointed ears and two horns on his head, approached the two arrivals.

"Kurama, since when do you steal humans?" Yomi interrogated.

"This one and only time and before you ask, she is for my amusement only," the fox told his other partner with a deadly glare.

"Of course, Kurama," he replied partially frightened.

Kuronue placed a hand on Yomi's shoulder and told him, "Let's leave him to his woman and divvy up the loot."

They dumped the bag out onto the large wooden table in the center of the room, then handed out bits and pieces to each of the thieves in the room. It was then that Oriana came to. She kneed and kicked her captor until he finally dropping her onto the floor. The woman took in her surroundings and felt fear creep into every pore as she realized that she was surrounded by demons. Quickly standing up, she searched for an exit only to have her hopes dashed by the king of thieves.

"So you don't go killing yourself, my blossom, understand this; if you leave the property the toxic air of demon world **will** kill you. I suggest you not attempt to escape from here," Youko informed her, "So long as you behave you'll have full rein of the property. Do you understand?"

If it meant that her cage would be larger than one room and she would be allowed outside, she would agree to his conditions. "Understood," she told him with a nod.

"One more thing," the fox demon added resting a clawed hand on her cheek, "You will be well taken care of in my hands however you must show me the utmost respect and refer to me as your lord. If you disrespect me even once, I will leave you to them." He softly turned her head so she could see the other thieves that had gathered around them. Oriana shivered as she caught the lecherous stares the male demons. These men clearly did not see a female very often as she did not see herself as physically appealing in the modern sense. Yet here they were eyeing her like a piece of meat. At least their leader, her captor, did not have such a look in his golden eyes. She knew that she would be safer with him, a lesser of two evils. Oriana would have loved to just bolt and take her chances getting home, but she knew that she did not stand a chance against such a large group of demons. She knew when to surrender and this was one of those times.

Sucking up her pride, the woman lowered her gaze and bowed her head as she told him, "Yes, my lord. I will adhere to your conditions."

A confident smirk appeared on his lips as he took hold of her hand. "Come with me," he commanded, pulling the human down a hallway.

As Youko guided the woman through his lair, he questioned her with a soft voice, "What is your name, my blossom?"

She was caught off guard by the question, figuring she would be a sort of servant or slave for the thief. So why would he want her name? The woman got over this quickly though and answered, "Oriana, my lord."

Chuckling softly he said more to himself, "So I did indeed find myself treasure. Your name refers to gold if I'm correct."

"Yes, that is right," Oriana confirmed then quickly added, "my lord."

They had traveled up several flights of stairs and down a long hallway. At the end of it were two large oak doors with a burnt in rose design. Youko lead them beyond the doors into a huge bedroom. A bed made up of plush pillows and blankets sat in the center of the room, a stone fireplace was built into the wall to the right with a fire blazing inside. A crossed from the door were large glass doors that lead out to a balcony, sheer silver curtains hung on either side of them. There was a chest of drawers on the left wall and beside it was a door that most likely lead to the bathroom. On top of the dresser was a vase with two red roses in it and beside that was a polished wooden box.

"This is my room and will be yours as well," the demon explained as he released the woman's hand and approached the dresser.

Oriana crossed the room toward the glass doors. The view from the thief king's room was breath taking. Below the balcony was the courtyard and from this height the woman could see an amazing garden hidden behind bushes on the right side of it. Outside of the stone walls was a jungle of many different plants and trees. The trees strangely grew as tall as the castle, preventing the human from seeing beyond the property. When she looked up, she saw that the sky was red and purple. It was a clear sign that she was no longer in her world.

"Enjoying the view?" Youko asked from right behind the woman making her jump in surprise causing him to chuckle at her skittishness.

Oriana felt something cold and metal on her collar bone and chest. Glancing down she saw that it was a silver pendent shaped like a thorny heart with two roses on the top point. It hung on a simple silver chain and rested a couple of inches above her cleavage.

She could then feel the demon's warm breath on her ear as he told her, "Never remove this pendent. I shows that you belong to me and will keep my men from attacking you."

With a slight shiver, the woman nodded in understanding before turning to face Youko. He was holding a bundle of white fabric in his arm. "Take a bath and put this on," he told her.

He held out to her a smaller version of the white clothes that the fox demon and his other bandits wore except for the bat demon, Kuronue. The woman wondered if that was the only thing he had for clothing or if the king of thieves had a thing for uniforms. Kuronue wore different clothing but Oriana had no wish to borrow anything from him and look like someone who enjoyed the kinky stuff.

Taking the cloth in her hands she thanked him and headed for the bathroom. As she reached the door Youko spoke, "Can you find your way back to the dinning hall, my blossom?"

She turned to face him and answered, "Yes, I should be able to make it back fine, my lord."

"Good. Try not to take too long," the fox demon told her before slipping out of the bedroom door.

Sighing, the woman entered the bathroom. The room had the basic necessities, in white of course. The tub was a very large size, but Oriana figured this was because of how tall the user was. She filled the tub with hot water and then poured in a small amount of bath oil that was on a shelf above it. The water took on the scent of roses which relaxed the stolen woman. Oriana removed her clothing and slid into the water. She only remained in the liquid long enough to wash her body and hair. After draining the tub and drying off she dressed in her new clothes. The pants were tight on her hips but at least they were the right length for her height. The shirt which was like a long sleeveless tunic was very loose on her torso. In fact if she moved the wrong way someone would be able to see the sides of her breasts. Oriana really regretted not wearing a bra that day. Tying the sash around her waist, she bunched the fabric in the back to tighten the front and keep her breasts covered. The only down side was that now the shape of her breasts and little pudgy stomach were clear as day.

"It'll just have to do," the human sighed poking her abdomen, "What does he see in me anyway?"

Not wishing to waste anymore time, Oriana exited the bathroom and into the bedroom. She looked around hoping to find anything to put on her bare feet but found nothing. It appeared that Youko only owned one pair of shoes and they were on his feet. With no other choice, the woman traveled back to the dinning hall barefoot. When she reached the main hall, many of the bandits had already cleared out. There were a few of the lower ranked ones still inside along with Youko and Kuronue.

As the woman approached the long table, one of the lower bandits walked toward the door behind her. He was a rather ugly lizard demon, and as he passed her, he slammed his shoulder into hers. The woman staggered but kept on her feet. "Apologize, human," the demon hissed, grabbing her arm roughly.

Youko stood to go and help his new companion but stopped once he saw what she was doing. On instinct Oriana spun around using the momentum and the open palm of her other hand to strike the demon's arm, forcing him to release her. Quickly changing her stance, the woman threw a left hook at his jaw then followed up by kicking him in the diaphragm. The lizard demon fell to the ground clenching its stomach. The human stood over him still in a fighting stance, her breathing heavy from the adrenaline rush. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder and without hesitation, Oriana turned while knocking the arm away. She threw a straight punch for the person's face only to have it caught in the hand of her intended target. When she looked up she saw that the person she was going to attack was none other than Youko.

"Quite the fighter aren't you, to take one of my men down in only three hits?" he remarked, releasing the woman's hand. Smirking down at her he spoke, "Kuronue, why don't you train my little blossom in combat and weapons? She has potential."

"Why me? She is your companion," Kuronue playfully argued with a smile, he knew he'd never win the argument anyway.

"Yes, but you are much better at training our new additions and at martial weapons," the fox demon told his friend.

With a short laugh the bat said, "Well if you put it that way I guess I could. Would you be willing to be under my tutelage, girl? It would give you something to do and would also be good exercise for you."

Oriana held her stomach as her eye twitched. She knew that he was right though, she did need to move around more. However, what really threw her off about the situation was that she was almost being treated as a guest. Well she would not squander an opportunity for a sense of equality. The woman gave a small smile and replied, "I don't mind, but please remember I'm only human."

"We'll worry about that when we get there," Kuronue told her.

To Oriana's embarrassment her stomach voiced its hunger with a furious growl. The bat demon could not help but laugh while his partner gave a small chuckle.

"Come, let's get back to our meal," Youko said before turning his golden gaze upon his fallen comrade, "Get out of here, Renji, you've already had enough punishment for touching what is mine. Do it again through, and King Yama will be the least of your worries."

Groaning, the lizard demon forced himself to his feet. "Yes, Kurama," he moaned as he left the room.

After he left, the three returned to the table. Youko of course sat at the head and Kuronue to his right. Oriana moved to sit somewhere near the center but the fox demon called her back to sit to his left. The two demons already had plates in front of them filled with meats and breads. Before the woman could reach for anything at the center of the table, Youko placed a plate filled with fruits, vegetables, and a couple of small slices of meat in front of her.

"You are going to destroy what little self-esteem I have, my lord," Oriana told him in a depressed tone, dejected by the fact that she was clearly being put on a diet.

The fox demon swallowed his food before he answered her simply, "A flower cannot bloom without proper nutrition."

'What is with him and flowers?' the woman wondered in her head as she picked up a berry and popped it into her mouth, 'At least the berries in demon world taste good.'

Once they were done dinner, Youko lead them upstairs but only a few floors this time. They entered a room which turned out to be a large study. The two side walls were lined from top to bottom with completely filled book shelves. There were even more books piled on the floor. A low round table sat in the center covered in maps and papers with four floor pillows around it. The back wall had a large window with a padded bench. The fox demon sat at the far end of the table and Kuronue to his right once more.

Looking through the papers on the table Youko said, "It looks as if our intelligence reports came in on the next heist. Looks like Yomi is finally doing his job right."

"Now if only he would stop getting our men killed. We've lost twenty in the past six months," Kuronue added.

"We should stop talking about him. He'll be here any moment now," Youko said before looking up and noticing that his new companion was still standing by the doorway, "You can join us, my blossom."

"I don't mean to offend, my lord, but I would rather not get involved in the stealing of anything, even if it is just the planning," Oriana explained softly.

"No offense, taken, my blossom. I simply ask for your company. You are welcome to any of my books to occupy your time."

"Thank you, my lord," the human said before looking over the book collection.

With a selected book on demon world history in hand, Oriana sat down on the window bench behind the thief king. Said thief did not say anything about her choice of seating. Not long after the woman cracked the cover, Yomi entered and sat a crossed from the leader. The demons then began talking about their next break in. While Oriana read, on occasion she could not help but listen to what they were saying. It seemed they were going after the basic gold and silver with this one. She went back to her reading and ended up reading half of the book by the time they were finished plotting.

"Time to go, my blossom," Youko said as he took the book from the woman's hands.

Oriana stood up and stretched. She then rubbed her sore bottom, she had not realized just how long they had been in the study. The fox smirked at her actions before he lead her back to their room. The first thing he did was head for the dresser and pull out of one of the drawers a white night gown which he handed to Oriana. Blushing, she took it and went into the bathroom to change. The woman came out a few moments later still wearing the necklace and the night gown which rested on her frame in a flattering manner.

"Not bad," Youko remarked from his bed, "Dresses and gowns suit you much better."

She was about to say something, but when she lifted her eyes she froze. Laying on the pillows with a blanket over his lap was a shirtless Youko. The woman's face heated up as she beheld the fox demon's well toned body.

"Do you like what you see, my blossom," the fox demon questioned with a sly smile.

Looking away she changed the subject, "My lord, why did you exactly bring me here? It wasn't for…" If it was possible the young woman turned even more red. She could not help those thoughts from entering her mind as he laid there in such a manner. Youko's laughter caught her attention once more.

"No, my blossom. I only sought a companion. I will not perform such an action unless of course you are willing," the look in his eyes made Oriana's heart skip a beat and her stomach twist in knots, "Now come to bed. You must be tired."

Gathering her courage and pride she approached the side that the fox demon was not on. As she laid down on the soft pillows she told the male beside her, "Just please stay on your side of the bed, my lord. I don't think I could sleep well with you too close to me. I never slept well around strangers."

"I won't be a stranger for long, my blossom," he told her as he watched her eyes begin to close.

With a yawn Oriana responded childishly, "You'll always be stranger than me, foxy."

Youko could not help but laugh at her final words as she drifted into slumber. This woman would diffidently be good entertainment for awhile. No one had made him laugh in a joyous manner in centuries. He laid back staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim him as well. There was no doubt in his mind that he chose the right female.

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I realized at the end of this chapter that some of you may not be familiar with Kuronue. He is a character from the Poltergeist Report movie. If you have not seen it I would advise that you do as it is the better of the two movies, or at least google the bat demon so that you can at least see what he looks like. His personality is unclear in the movie so I made one up for him. I tried to make him compliment Youko as they are best friends as well as make him the big brother type. I do hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Stolen Gold. Until next time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.

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The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when the king of thieves awoke. There was a weight on his chest, and when he glanced down Youko saw his new companion nuzzled into his chest. To think just the night before she had requested that he remain on his side of the bed and yet here she was on him. As much as the fox demon would have enjoyed remaining like this he had things to do.

"Oriana," Youko called softly.

Slowly she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was pale flesh right in front of her face. The woman jumped back to the other side of the bed and looked away. It took her a few moments to remember where she was and why. Once she composed herself, Oriana risked looking over at the person she shared the bed with.

"I'm sorry, my lord," the human apologized lowering her gaze.

"No harm done, my blossom. It is time to get up however. You'll begin training with Kuronue today," Youko told her getting out of the bed allowing his companion to see he wore his pants to bed.

Oriana turned to see that the sun had barely risen. "Why so early though?" she whined rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"This is the time I get up every day," he informed now holding a new uniform in his hands, "I'm going to bathe, you are welcome to join me, my blossom."

"I'll just wait for you to finish, my lord," the woman responded nervously.

"Suit yourself," the demon shrugged and entered the bathroom. The last thing she saw was his tail before the door shut.

"Pervert," Oriana muttered to herself once she heard the water running.

"A demon's hearing is far keener than a human's, my blossom," Youko called from the bathroom.

Stunned she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, my lord. I meant no disrespect." "So it was a compliment?"

"An observation."

Hearty laughter echoed in the adjacent room. Oriana smiled at the sound and stood up stretching. She was going to miss sleeping in. While she waited for her turn, the woman analyzed the necklace she wore. Oriana ran her thumb over the silver roses and small thorns. For something that served the same purpose as a dog collar, it was certainly beautiful. Being Kurama's companion could not be so bad. He at least treated her kindly for the most part. Even if he could be a pervert, it seemed to be he did it more to get a rise out of her. Oriana got so caught up in her thoughts that she did not even noticed Youko exit the bathroom and approach her.

"You should bathe now. Kuronue is not as patient as I," he said interrupting the woman's thoughts.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Oriana faced him, "Right. Of course."

Youko handed her a new uniform before saying, "I have quit a few things to take care of today. I'll be leaving now. Kuronue will come up to get you in a bit so bathe quickly."

"Yes, my lord," the woman told him heading for the door. Before she closed the door behind her she waved good-bye, "Have a good day."

Smiling to himself, the thief king exited the room and down the stairs. This woman was exactly what he needed, a ray of light in his dark world. Now he just needed to go out and acquire some things before the day was out.

When Oriana was done getting ready she went out into the hall. Kuronue was leaning against the wall across from the door waiting for her. "I forgot how long females take to get ready," he grumbled half heartedly. His indigo gaze locked onto hers, "Let's get going. We have a lot of work to do."

They had a quick breakfast, Oriana's consisting only of fruit to her dismay. Once they were finished the bat demon took her outside into the courtyard. Kuronue turned out to be a tough teacher. He worked on her strength and endurance for the majority of the time. Mainly because the woman had already proven to be a decent martial artist. Through each of the challenges the bat demon placed before her, Oriana met them all. Her willpower alone impressed her trainer.

"If you keep at this pace, Youko might even want you to join us in the field," Kuronue told her as he stood over her.

Forcing herself to do yet another pushup, the human responded, "As I said before I don't want to get involved with stealing." She huffed as she relaxed her arms and began again, "Seeing as I can't leave, I'm willing to be his companion. I'd still like to look the victim if somehow you all get caught."

The bat demon laughed at the notion, "We've been at it for centuries. It won't happen."

"By the way, you suggested I could go on heists," Oriana spoke performing her hundredth pushup. She stood rubbing her sore arms, "If I can't breath the air outside of here, how am I supposed to go with you?"

Smirking he told her, "Youko has his ways, but don't think I'll tell you. Besides the fact that I don't want my best friend to kill me, you wouldn't survive out there on your own. If by some miracle you could, you'll never find your way home. Portals to the human world are far and few between and are never in the same place for more than a few hours." "Thank, Kuronue. You really know how to make a girl depressed in less than a minute," Oriana sighed.

"I'm only telling you so you don't try to escape and end up dead. You're not bad for a human," the demon told her placing a hand on her head, "That was a long enough rest, let's do some sparing."

Half an hour later Oriana laid on the grass exhausted. The bat demon had worked her past her limit and now she could barely stand. Knowing his friend would want her clean, Kuronue lifted her up in his arms and took her back to Youko's room. Once there he set her on her feet, holding the woman up by her shoulders.

"Think you can make it to the bathroom okay?" he asked.

Steadying her legs Oriana nodded, "I'll be fine. Thank you."

The human managed to make it to the tub without much trouble. The hot water soothed her aching body. She was not sure if she would be able to handle anymore of Kuronue's training sessions. Her feet hurt her the worst. Training barefoot outside left her feet sore and cut up. Thankfully she had stopped bleeding before being set down on Youko's floor. She was not sure how he would react. At least the hot water soothed that pain as well.

Kuronue had gone back outside when he sensed his friend's return. A man in a hooded cloak came through the gate with several thin boxes under his arm. When the bat demon approached him, the man pulled the hood back to reveal Kurama.

"It almost looks like you bought that stuff, Youko," Kuronue accused pointing at the boxes.

"I used my allowance don't worry," the fox replied, "How did Oriana do?"

"She is a very determined human for one. I was quite impressed by her skill. I'm going to start her on weapons tomorrow and possibly some tricks of the trade," the bat demon reported proudly.

"I knew she would do well," Kurama looked around before asking, "Where is she?"

"Bathing," Kuronue answered simply.

"Perfect," the fox demon smirked as he headed inside.

While Kuronue went to do his own thing, his partner in crime traveled upstairs to his room, boxes in hand. When he entered the bedroom Oriana was exiting the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around her torso. Her eyes widened when she saw him and pulled the towel tighter. Her face turned scarlet when a smirk pulled at the thief king's lips. She turned her gaze away from his face which let her see the boxes.

"What are in those, my lord?" the woman questioned curious.

"I'm glad you asked, my blossom. These are for you," Youko told her, setting the boxes on the floor in front of the bed. He sat on the pillows by the containers and motioned for her to join him.

Holding the towel up, Oriana sat beside him and picked up the top box. She lifted the lid and inside the box was very soft white fabric. When she lifted it out the woman could see that it was an off the shoulder dress. A silver rope wrapped around the dress under the bodice. It was also a princess cut and reached the floor when the woman stood and held it against her. The garment was simple yet elegant.

"It's beautiful, my lord. Thank you," she told him gratefully.

"You're welcome. Have a look at the others," Youko said urging her to continue.

With new enthusiasm, Oriana opened one box after another, taking in each dress as she went. The remaining four dresses were each of a different style with a different accent. However, all of them were white and silver. In one of the boxes was a pair of white slipper like shoes as well. The woman was very happy to see these so that she would no longer have to walk around barefoot. Taking the first dress, Oriana went back into the bathroom and put it on. She had to admit that it did flatter her nicely. After slipping on her new shoes, the human stepped back into the room.

Hand resting on his chin, the fox demon analyzed the woman who stood before him. "It appears I chose well," Youko commented, his golden eyes taking in her form.

Blushing the woman spoke, "They are all so beautiful, my lord, but why did you buy me these dresses? They must have been expensive."

Kurama stood and approached his young companion. "I have accumulated much wealth over the years. This was nothing," he answered as he lifted her chin with a clawed finger, "You belong to me now, my blossom, and I prefer what is mine to be well taken care of. You needed clothing and this is pleasing to my eyes. Is that understandable?"

"Yes, my lord. I am grateful either way," Oriana said softly.

Releasing her chin, Youko turned away from the human and moved toward the door. "Come. It's time to prepare my men for the next heist," he informed her.

Sighing she followed closely behind him. They traveled downstairs and into the mess hall. The hall was filled with nearly a hundred demon thieves, all of them dressed the same. When their leader entered they gathered around the long table in the center of the room. The three demon leaders took their seats at the head of the table. Yomi to Kurama's left and Kuronue to his right. With Yomi in the seat she sat in before, Oriana had no idea where to sit. In fact every chair along the table was taken from what she could see.

'I thought some of their men had died. How are there no empty seats?' she thought slightly anxious as she was the only one that was still standing.

A clawed hand took hold of her wrist. In the blink of an eye, Oriana found herself in the thief king's lap. She stiffened and made to hurry off but Kurama placed his arm around her waist.

The fox demon placed his mouth next to her ear, "This will be temporary seating. Relax."

She had a hard time with that as there were nearly a hundred pairs of eyes on them. Being as she was sitting sideways on the demon's lap, she leaned to her right resting her head on his shoulder. This way she could only see his neck and chest. The only other person she could see from this position was Kuronue and he did nothing to make her feel uncomfortable. Doing her best to relax, Oriana focused on the fact that her capture smelt of sweet roses and the rumble in his chest as he spoke to his men.

Youko instructed his men on their different jobs and where the treasure was located. When he was finished all of the thieves seemed riled up and excited. Cheers echoed in the chamber when their leader told them they would be leaving immediately. Once most of them were outside, Kurama stood forcing his companion to her feet as well.

"You have full rein of the castle and grounds while we are gone, my blossom," he told her, "However, do not stick your nose into too many places. The other thieves' bedrooms for example. Which are located on the same floor as our room as well as the once below it."

"I wouldn't think of it, my lord," Oriana said, "If I do anything it will be familiarizing myself with this place."

The fox demon gave an approving nod before warning her, "Do not try to escape either. You wont get far."

With a shaky nod she said, "I understand, my lord."

"The servants are paid to not be seen so you will not find any. They have been instructed to leave you food. It will be here in a couple of hours," Youko explained.

Happy to be guarantied food she thanked him. The thief king placed a hand on her head in an almost affectionate way. "Behave yourself. We'll be back late," Kurama told the woman.

"Should I wait up for you, my lord?" Oriana inquired. "I would not mind, but no you do not have to."

"Alright. You're men are waiting. Good luck."

Chuckling the king of thieves bid his companion farewell and left to lead his men. The woman had sometime to kill so she decided to start her exploration of the castle. She really wanted to get a better look at the hidden garden that she saw but the sun had already set. So keeping her exploring inside, Oriana decided to begin at the bottom and work her way up. The bottom floor turned out to consist of the mess hall, servant's quarters, and kitchen. Even though the bottom floor was mainly dedicated to the servants, the woman never saw a single one. She even saw the food out on the counters in the kitchen in the middle of being prepared, yet no cooks. When she returned to the mess hall there was a plate of food and cup of wine waiting for her on the table. Oriana had to admit that they did do their job very well. After eating she moved onto the next floor.

The second floor proved to be far more interesting. There were nearly one hundred rooms. Each one had a different thief's name on the door. They were all locked but when she peeked through the keyhole of one, the human realized that they each contained the thief's share of the loot. The next floor had the three head thieves' treasure rooms. These were five times the size of the other's from what she could see through the keyholes. There was one unlocked door on this floor. Inside was the weapon storage. Weapons of all kinds lined the walls and rested on stands in the center. Leaving them alone until Kuronue wished to teach her weapons, the woman moved to the fourth floor.

Kurama's study took up most of this floor. The rest of the rooms were either storage or empty. After this floor there were only the bedrooms, so Oriana entered Youko's study. She finished the book she was reading the day before and began a new one on the portals between the three worlds. By the time she was done the book, it was very late. However, the woman learned what she needed to know and was now positive that her captors were telling the truth.

Much of the demon world was polluted from all of the killing between demons. There were some areas that were clean, they were the areas with low populations, but the chances of the part of demon world surrounding the castle was clean was very slim. Beyond that the chances of her finding a portal to the human world were one hundred thousand to one. Her fare was sealed in this place unless King Yama's troops moved in and captured the thieves. When she thought it over though, as long as she remained on Youko's good side she would have a decent life. The only thing she really hated about the arrangement was that she could never leave the grounds without the thief king's help. Plus the chance of him agreeing to do that were probably as small as her odds of finding a portal.

Oriana did not go to bed after her new discover. Instead to clear her head she picked up another book this time on the plant life of this world. She sat on the window bench with her back against one of the walls. The position proved comfortable enough for her to start drifting off as she read. Before she completely fell asleep someone entered the room. Hearing the door creak, the woman started and turned her gaze to the entryway.

"I believe I informed you that you did not need to wait up, my blossom," Youko said with a smirk.

Rubbing her eyes after setting the book down, she responded, "I hadn't meant to." Oriana sat up with both hands on either side behind her leaning back on them slightly. "So how did your raid go, my lord?"

Youko suddenly had to exert a large amount of self control. He knew that the woman had not meant to but she sat in a very tempting position. Her large breasts were being forced upward and outward. Forcing his gaze to her green eyes he told her, "As well as could be expected. No one was caught or killed and we made off… well like bandits." Oriana laughed softly at his little joke before yawning. "It is time for bed, my blossom. You seem tired," the fox demon said gently as he approached her. She nodded her head in agreement as he slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees. Kurama lifted his companion with ease and brought her upstairs to their bedroom.

Once they were inside the chamber, the fox demon roused Oriana so that she could change for bed. He wished for her to keep her virgin skin unseen until she was ready and willing. After changing into her night gown, she crawled into bed on her chosen side. It did not take her long to drift off and once again she unconsciously clung to her captor. Youko reluctantly pried her off and placed a pillow in her arms instead. Normally he would not have minded, however having previously been aroused by her unintentional display he did not wish to tempt fate. After turning his back to her, he fell into a restless slumber.

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That's it for this month. I hope you enjoyed. Next month we'll make a bit of a leap in time. And if anyone is wondering I will not needlessly put in lemons. I will build up to them in time but tease poor Youko while doing so. Anyway, I'll see you all next month. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. Nor do I own the song Diamond by Alan. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.

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During her three months living with the thieves, Oriana managed to adjust well. Youko continued to treat the woman well and Kuronue became like an older brother to her. He looked out for her when Kurama was busy and was pleasant to have conversations with. One day during a training session the bat demon revealed to Oriana some more information about the thief king. Apparently when he was just a newborn his father had died and when he was just a boy his mother passed away due to serious illness. This information made the human feel a new sense of compassion for her companion. It was possible that his mother's death gave him feelings of abandonment and some mother issues. These most likely lead to his need for a female companion. Oriana was happy to fill this void though, especially since this arrangement reduced her own feeling of loneliness as well.

Even though the human woman got along fine with the bat and fox demon, she had a harder time with Yomi and the rest of the thieves. They did nothing to hurt the woman (Youko made sure of that) but made no effort to be nice either. This did not bother Oriana so much. She would instead remain with either Youko or Kuronue, and if they were out the woman locked herself in the study. She did this more for another reason. The thieves may not have bothered to be nice to the human but since she dropped a lot of her extra weight and toned her body a little bit more, they eyed her far more lustfully. The human was not stick thin, but a healthy weight. She still had a little bit of a backside though. Youko became a little more hands on as well but he knew and respected the meaning of the word 'no.' Yomi did not necessarily show any lustful behavior toward the woman. Instead he simply did not show her any respect or kindness.

As usual during the planning process of heists, Oriana sat on the window bench reading. This day she wore the strapless dress that had a inch wide strip of silver metal resting on her hips that created a wide 'v' in the front. The length of the dress clung to her hips, pulling in along the length of her legs before spilling out around her feet. It was a little hard to walk in at first but it was her favorite.

In front of the woman the three head demons focused on new blueprints just brought in by Yomi. They had been studying them for quite some time without making much progress. There were abbreviations here and there that the thieves could not understand.

"What the hell is an E.L.S.?" Yomi questioned in frustration after looking at the map key.

"It stands for electronic locking system. All of the doors must have password encoded locks."

All three men turned their heads and stared at the human woman. She was still sitting there with her nose in a book as if she had not said a thing. Feeling their eyes, Oriana lifted her emerald gaze, looking at them over the pages of the leather bound book. "Have I done something odd, my lord?" she asked unsettled by their stares.

"How do you know this information, my blossom?" Youko inquired softening his gaze.

Setting down the book Oriana answered, "I went to school for working with computers. I used to work for a company that made those kinds of systems. Though I'm not entirely sure they would be the same in this world."

"You wouldn't happen to know how to get through those locks, would you, Oriana?" Kuronue asked.

"If they are indeed the same, then yes I do," she responded not liking where this conversation was heading.

"Then you can help us get through them," Yomi concluded.

Shaking her head the woman told them, "I will not. I do not wish to get involved."

"Teach us then," Kuronue suggested.

"It's not that simple. A special device is needed to trick the lock into opening. Those devices aren't exactly something you can just find either. They need to be built from scratch," Oriana explained, "It might be best to forget this place. They clearly have very high security."

Youko stood and approached the woman. He took her chin in his clawed hand and said, "But you know how to make them, don't you, my blossom? You seem far too knowledgeable to not be able to."

She knew the fox could smell lies from experience so she told him the truth, "Some of us at school use to make them for fun to test our skills. So yes I could make one with the right tools."

Pleased the king of thieves asked, "What is it you need?"

Oriana sighed in defeat, "It's a long list. I'll write it down."

The human walked around the table and sat down a crossed from where Kurama sat, her legs off to her left as it was the only way for her to sit comfortably on the floor. Taking a piece of paper and a pen, Oriana began writing out a list of materials and tools she would need. Before handing the list over, the woman looked over the blueprints in front of her. Just as she figured, the entire place was covered by security cameras, luckily for them they were only on the inside.

"You'll need something to scramble the cameras too," she told them and began adding to her list.

"Where do you see cameras?" Yomi demanded leaning over the paper to try and find them.

Pointing to a small circle near a wall she told him, "The circles on blueprints like this represent cameras and according to the key they are MSSC or motion sensing security cameras. They focus on anything that moves."

Returning to his seat, Youko told her, "Do not worry about the cameras. If that is how they function, I should have no trouble in disabling them."

After crossing out a couple of items on her list she handed it over the table to her companion. He took it and looked it over. "If I get these for you by tomorrow, how long will it take you to make this device of yours?"

Oriana thought for a moment before answering, "If I still train with Kuronue in the morning and pull all nighters, at least three days. Five at most."

"We could skip those sessions for a day or two. There is no need to overwhelm yourself. You'll over exert your human body," Kuronue told her slightly worried for her welfare.

"No need to worry about my human body," the woman responded with soft laughter, "It will be nothing new to it. I over worked myself a lot in college. I'll be fine. Besides I enjoy our training sessions." Smirking the bat demon said, "I must not be working you hard enough than. Tomorrow I'll fix that."

Smiling sweetly in return she told him, "Can't wait."

The three thieves left to go and gather the materials and tools that Oriana would need. Meanwhile the human did her best to continue reading, trying hard not to think about what she had gotten herself into. When morning rolled around Kuronue worked the woman harder than before, but not to the point of keeling over. Usually they would work on one of three things; martial arts, weapons, or stealing. On this particular day, all three aspects were used. The bat demon had a small sack of gold coins on his belt. Oriana's objective was to obtain it while fighting him. Each of them were armed. Kuronue with his chain scythes and Oriana with her weapon of choice a halberd, a staff with a six inch double edged blade on one end.

They were both in close range combat. Throwing punches with one hand while they other blocked with their weapon. The two were going at it for awhile when the human used the blade of her halberd to cut the string of the money pouch while Kuronue was distracted by her punches. The sack fell to the ground by their feet with the jingle of the coins hitting each other. Using the blunt end of the six foot staff, Oriana knocked the bag away before promptly kicking her teacher in the side of the head. With Kuronue temporarily stunned, the woman scrambled after the pouch only to have her leg caught by the chain of the bat's weapon. He pulled hard sending her to the ground. Thinking quickly, Oriana used her halberd and legs to pull on the slack of the chain. With a quick twist of her hips and legs, the scythe was pulled free of Kuronue's hand and landed a few inches to the woman's left. Thanking her luck, she scrambled after the pouch once more. Only where her eyes fell on the spot where it had landed, the human only saw white shoes and pants. Oriana lifted her gaze to meet a golden one.

"Clever but you could have hurt yourself," Youko commented as he tossed the bag of coins lazily in his right hand, "Next time keep your weapon ready to block it if it gets that close again."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you," Oriana told him as she began untangling herself from the chain.

She stood and coiled the chain once more before returning it to Kuronue. Taking it he informed her, "You're doing much better. You're no longer looking where you plan on striking so much anymore. Good job. You are now officially better than an eighth of our men."

Smiling brightly the woman asked, "How much longer until I'm as good as you two?"

Placing a hand on her head the fox demon said, "You won't live long enough."

Her face fell at his words, "There is that depressed feeling again."

Feeling a little remorseful for upsetting his companion Kurama spoke softly, "It is a matter of fact, my blossom. We have had hundreds of years of practice to refine our movements and skills."

Tilting her head slightly to the side Oriana asked, "How old are you exactly?"

"If you must know. I'm just over eight hundred. I received my ninth tail for my spirit form about five years ago," he informed her seriously.

Oriana did her best to keep a straight face as she remarked, "Wow. You're like a living artifact, my lord. No wonder you collect all of this ancient treasure. It must remind you of your childhood."

Kuronue snickered behind his hand. He was nearly as old but the way the woman said it and his best friend's face made him want to laugh. The thief king's face was one of utter shock. It quickly switched to one of deviousness as he scooped the human up and threw her over his shoulder. With his left hand he carried the coin purse and the large sack he had brought in with him. Oriana screamed and tried to wriggle free with no luck. The bat demon merely followed behind with both of their weapons in hand.

"This is your punishment for disrespecting me. Be thankful I've grown fond of you," Youko said as his hand slid back and grabbed a hold of her bottom.

"You pervert!" she squealed before looking to the bat demon, "Kuronue, I'd appreciate your assistance."

"Sorry Oriana, you're on your own with this one," the bat demon told her smiling at her 'plight.'

Sighing the woman rested her cheek in her hand and moaned, "Thanks, Kuro."

Youko went up to his room with his captured companion while his partner went to the armory two floors down. The fox demon set Oriana down on the bed. She huffed and looked away with her arms crossed. Knowing that his companion was only being playful, Kurama leaned in and nuzzled her neck taking in her scent. Oriana shivered and relaxed slightly. She enjoyed the attention he gave her, but she had yet to allow him to go any further then his simple form of flirting.

Rubbing one of his silver fox ears between her index finger and thumb, the woman asked softly, "How is the hunt for all of the items I require, my lord?"

Letting out a disappointed sigh Youko backed away becoming serious. "I acquired the last of them this morning. Yomi and Kuronue have already brought everything else to the room which will act as your workshop," he informed, "Get dressed and I'll take you there."

After taking a quick bath, Oriana dressed in her Chinese style dress. It was sleeveless and went to her ankles. The edges of the dress and the knots and loops that held the collar closed were a silver fabric. The main fabric was white with a floral pattern. The human would have licked this dress more if it was no so revealing. A teardrop shaped hole started from under the collar and down far enough to show some cleavage. There was also a thigh high slit one either side of the garment. This dress quickly turned into one of Youko's favorites.

When the woman exited the bathroom, Kurama smirked holding out his hand to her. Oriana placed her hand into his wearily. Once they connected, the king of thieves pulled her into him before securing her with his arms. Smiling sweetly up at her captor the woman inquired, "Isn't there work to be done, my lord?"

"Why do you always feel the need to ruin my fun?" Youko questioned disappointment in his golden eyes.

"Because I want you to understand that we are not going any further," the woman told him matter of factly, "Besides that disappointed look of yours is cute."

A sour look crossed his face. "Don't call me cute," he told her seriously.

"Of course, my lord. I'm sure you would prefer," she paused taking a breath before listing off with her fingers, "Handsome, dashing, good looking, alluring, sexy, hot, drop dead gorgeous, breath taking, and irresistible."

A smirk pulled at the thief king's lips. Only to have Oriana continue, "But of course that is only what you want to hear."

"Not so, my blossom," Kurama said caressing her cheek with his thumb, "I can smell your lie in that last sentence."

The woman blushed deeply confirming his statement. "Even if I do find you attractive, my lord," she spoke doing her best to keep her cool, "I would appreciate it if you took me to my workroom so that I can get started. I gave you a deadline and I can't meet it if you stop me all of the time for your amusement."

"Don't deny that you enjoy it. But you are correct. Let us go. You have work to do," Youko agreed and lead her out of the room, his arm around his waist.

The workshop was on the same floor as Youko's study only a few doors down. It had been a storage room but it was now cleared out. There was a medium height long table against the far wall with a cushioned chair pulled up to it. All of the items that Oriana requested except for a few things were spread across the table's surface. On the wall to the right of and in front the table were large windows. This room was on the corner of the castle so the woman had two different views. One was of the courtyard and the other was simply of the vast forest. A fireplace was built into the wall beside the door to keep the room warm. The human also noticed that this room was wired with electricity. Only a few rooms in the castle were and were powered by a cylinder style wind turbine on the castle's roof. An electric lamp stood beside the desk to light the room at night.

Youko approached the table and emptied the contents of his bag onto it. There were a couple large spools of insulated wire and a laptop computer. "I believe this is everything," Kurama declared folding the sack over his arm.

"It looks like it," the woman confirmed before smiling up at him, "I'll get to work right away."

Smirking the king of thieves informed her, "Be sure to come to dinner tonight. You are singing for me again."

With a soft sigh and smile Oriana spoke, "Of course, my lord. Do you wish to hear something new or something I've sung before?"

"As long as it is your voice that I listen to, I do not mind either way," Kurama told his companion as he turned to leave the room, "I'll come get you so you don't forget."

"Then I will see you in a few hours, my lord," she said sitting down in the chair before flashing him a smirk much like his own, "Try not to miss my company too much."

Youko merely chuckled before exiting the room. As Oriana began to solder together the main circuit board, she went through the different songs she knew in her head. Since her second week at the thieves' hideout, the human woman has sung in front of everyone at dinner one to two times a week. She was very nervous at first but got over it after performing so many times to the same audience. When she was first 'asked' to sing for the thief king and his crew, Oriana was confused as to why he had requested such a thing. He explained that he heard her sing when he first saw her. It was her singing voice that had originally attracted him to her. Though he found new things all of the time or so he said.

Only half of the circuit board was finished when Kurama came to get her. Together they entered the grand hall were everyone else were taking their seats. Youko sat at the head of the table while Oriana stood a few feet behind him and to the right. The thieves knew what she was doing and fell silent. Oriana closed her eyes and took a deep breath before her alto/soprano voice echoed off the stone walls. She sang the only song she could think of at the time, Diamond by Alan. Usually the woman stayed away from any song that could be considered a love song. The woman did not want to give her companion any ideas but she was starting to run out of songs. Diamond was not exactly a love song but it was close. After the last note finished reverberating off the walls, soft applause rose from the table. Oriana did a small quick bow before sitting between Kuronue and Youko.

Instead of spending the night with the thief king in his study, the woman returned to her workshop. She stayed there until very late when she then crawled into bed beside Kurama. The woman went through a similar routine for a couple of days. On the fourth day she began to program the device so that the thieves could just hook it up and it would do the work. After dinner Youko requested she work in the study. Oriana could not help but smile as this proved he missed her company. So as the three head thieves discussed yet another raid, the woman sat in her spot across from Kurama, typing away on her keyboard. Every so often one of the males would glance over to see her fingers and eyes moving rapidly, completely absorbed in her work.

Eyeing the little grey box that was connected to the laptop by a short cord, Yomi questioned, "Will this thing actually work?"

Oriana stopped typing and looked over at the horned demon. "I've built several of these before. It will work perfectly," she told him slightly offended.

"And what if you don't want it to work so we'll be caught?" Yomi accused.

Youko was about to reprimand his partner but Oriana beat him to it, "What would I gain by getting you all caught? I can't survive here on my own."

"She has a point, Yomi," Kuronue added.

Yomi growled and slumped in his seat. No longer bothered by the demon, the human woman went back to programming the digital lock pick. Only a few minutes later, she unplugged the device and closed the laptop. "All done," she announced proudly.

"Good, we have enough time to go tonight," Kurama said pleased, "Very good, my blossom. I'm impressed." "Just try not to lose or break it, my lord. I would hate to have to make a new one every time," the woman requested.

"Of course. Now would you be kind enough to explain how to use this device?"

"Yes, my lord. Just open the keypad next to the door and pinch the fattest wire between the teeth of the clip at the end of this wire, press the button and when the screen reads unlocked the door's alarm will be disarmed and you can enter."

"That's it?"

"That's it." Kurama stood grinning, "Let us get going, men. I would like to be back before sunrise." Yomi and Kuronue left the room with grins of their own. Before leaving Youko stopped to speak with his companion. "Thank you for helping us. I'll find a way to reward you when I return," he told her lifting her chin so he could look into her emerald eyes that he had grown very fond of.

"That's unnecessary, my lord," she said softly, "Just come back home alive."

The thief king could not help but smile at her words. "I didn't know you cared, my blossom," he said as he leaned in and softly pressed his lips against hers.

When he pulled away he saw that the woman's face was completely red and her eyes were wide in shock. Her fingertips softly touched her lips. "So you would even steal from me?" she whispered then lowered her gaze, "I'll see you in the morning, my lord." The woman then turned from him, snatched up her laptop and left the room. She then proceeded to lock herself in her workroom.

Youko watched her leave with interest. He was not used to women acting like that when he kissed them. He also found her words strange. As he made his way toward the courtyard, he turned them over in his mind. All he had done was kiss her. Then it hit him. She was far more innocent than he had originally thought. It made him smirk in satisfaction. So no one really had ever seen what a rare and beautiful treasure she was. Youko did feel a small amount of disappointment though. He should have made it a better one. It was a shame really, but he would find a way to make it up to her. As for the time being, he had some treasure to steal.

Oriana went upstairs to her room after she saw the three thieves leave the grounds from the window of the workshop. After changing into her nightgown, she crawled into bed. The past four days had wiped her out and as a result the woman passed out almost instantly. It was around three in the morning when the woman woke up to someone calling her name. Opening her eyes she saw a pair of teardrop shaped emerald dangle earrings. Oriana rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"What are those?" she asked stiffening a yawn.

Smiling, Youko responded, "Earrings. I thought they matched your eyes and I happened to notice your ears are pierced."

She glared softly at him, "I told you I didn't want a reward for helping you." "Then take them as an apology for my actions earlier. It was wrong of me to steal your first kiss," he said apologetically, his golden eyes soft and even a little sad. Even his ears had drooped slightly, giving a very convincing sad puppy face.

Oriana could not resist his acting in her exhausted state. So taking the earrings into her hand she said, "Apology accepted."

Youko was instantly his old self again when he heard those words. "Are you going to put them on?" he asked with his ever present smirk.

"If I do, can I go back to sleep?" she asked as another yawn broke through which she covered with her hand.

"For three more hours, yes," the fox answered.

"I can live with that," Oriana said as she placed the earrings in her ears.

Kurama smiled. The earrings were perfect and he was happy he took them from the loot for her. He really enjoyed giving his companion a gift sort of out of the blue. He would have to do it more often. When she is more awake, of course.

Slipping off his tunic, the fox slide in beside her. He took the woman in his arms bringing her close against his body and kissed the top of her head. "Good night, my blossom," he said waiting for one of her witty retorts she gave when she was tired. Usually they were either about his being a thief or fox and on the rare occasion his looks.

Eyes drooping and with another yawn, Oriana said, "Good night, Youko."

Her choice of words caught him off guard. Only one person other than his late mother ever called him by his first name and that was Kuronue. She did spend a lot of time with the bat demon so it was possible that she picked it up from him. Kurama usually never allowed anyone to refer to him so informally, but he like the way she said his name. Smiling to himself, he glanced down at the woman sleeping in his arms. Now if only he could hear her moan his name.

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So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Youko and Oriana are developing a close relationship already mostly due to such close quarters. Of course Youko is quite the charmer too. In two chapters should be the first rated M chapter in case anyone is curious. Well I will see you all next month, or later this one seeing as this is being posted late. Thank you for reading. Bye for now.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I also do not own the song My Sanctuary by Utanda Hikaru. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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It seemed like any other day. Kuronue and Yomi were sitting across from each other in the study, pouring over new blue prints. In her usual seat, Oriana was typing away on her laptop. Just the day before, she had installed a satellite dish on top of the castle so she could connect to other computers. Since the hideout was so much farther away from anything else, this was necessary. She had to climb up the outside of the castle tower herself to install it because the woman could not trust the guys with the sensitive equipment. At least Kuronue flew near by to spot her in case she fell. Which luckily never happened.

Oriana glanced over her screen at the empty spot across the table. Early the day before, Kurama had left in a hurry to go into town. Kuronue had explained that it was mating season for fox demons and Youko needed to find a willing demoness to have sex with. The bat demon assured Oriana that the thief king usually returned the next day back to normal. He just needed to get the lust out of his system. Kuronue also explained that in a few weeks he too would need to go through a similar process.

Even though she knew Youko would be back soon, the human still missed him. The night before she cuddled with a pillow that smelt strongly of the fox demon. She could not fall asleep otherwise. His smell of roses and musk was just so soothing to her. Shaking her head, Oriana went back to her laptop only to find something surprising.

"I connected to the Human World internet. There must be a portal open near a wireless connection," the woman said mostly to herself in shock.

So what did the young woman do with this information? She began downloading all of her favorite music that she missed. Oriana also looked up some world news while she waited for the downloads to finish. It had been nearly a year since she was taken and a lot could have happened in Human World. Surprisingly, not much had happened during the past year. Just as she was going to look up the latest technological advances, her connection cut out. Sighing Oriana checked her downloads to see she got most of the songs.

"And the connection to Human World is gone just like that," the human sighed, "At least I got some music out of it."

"Oriana, why did you not try to use that portal to go home? Do you know how rare a Human World portal is in these parts?" Kuronue questioned curiously.

"Even if I could make it safely to the portal, why would I want to go?" Oriana countered, "I was alone there. Not really doing anything with my life. At least here I'm not alone anymore. Besides Youko is not so bad. He practically spoils me."

She flicked one of her emerald earrings to prove her point which made the bat demon laugh while Yomi rolled his eyes. The woman became serious after a moment, "Speaking of 'his highness' where is he? I thought he'd be back today?"

Kuronue smirked as he spoke, "Most likely. Just be patient. You seem to have gotten pretty attached to the old fox, huh?"

The woman could not stop the redness from forming on her cheeks. "Shut up, Kuro," she half growled in a human way before controlling her self, "I've just gotten used to him being around is all. He's my companion just as much as I am his." She then gave him a sweet smile.

"Don't worry. Youko is usually very quick about it," the bat demon reassured.

"So he'll be back today possibly?" Oriana inquired trying to hide the hopefulness in her voice.

"With any luck," Yomi answered, "It looks like we won't be able to do this heist without him."

"Why is that?" the woman asked looking around her computer at the blueprint and notes for the first time.

Resting his forehead in his hand, the horned demon replied, "There are too many cameras and various other electronic traps. Kuronue insists that it would be suicide to just go in there without a way to disarm them. Personally I'd rather wing it. Kuronue thinks without Kurama and his plants, we can't get to the vault."

The woman had noticed that the two had been bickering a little while she was enjoying her first time surfing the internet in a while. "Where is this place located?" Oriana questioned.

Yomi glanced over at her, "The other side of King Raizen's land. It takes nearly a whole day to get there."

Oriana returned to her laptop and began typing away. A few minutes later she grinned and told them, "I can access their computer mainframe from here and their security system from that. If Youko does not come back in time, I can be of help. When you get close I could crash their entire system for a few hours."

"You're actually going to get that involved? You'll diffidently be counted as an accomplice for this," Kuronue warned the woman.

"I'll only do it if Youko is still out of commission when you leave. I'll be of some help when I can be," she responded, "But no matter what you say or do will convince me to join you in the field."

The bat demon laughed, "I don't think you have much to worry about. I think Youko's decided that he doesn't want to put his treasure into harms way."

"Good to know," Oriana laughed exiting out of the windows she had opened to enter the security system of the thieves' next target.

Just then the door opened causing all three of them to turn and see who it was. The servants never allowed themselves to be noticed and none of the thieves other than the three leaders ever came into this room. So this was a curiosity to all of them and once their eyes locked onto the new comer, they widened. Kurama stood a mess in the doorway. His normally perfectly straight silver hair was tangled. His tunic hung loosely off one shoulder. The sash around his waist was tied sloppily in the front instead of neatly off to the side. The brown cloak he wore into town hung from his right hand which he dropped after the door was opened all of the way.

"Youko?" Kuronue called softly a little nervous about his friend's disheveled appearance.

"No female interested me," the fox said quietly looking down at the floor, "None of them are good enough. I could not stop thinking of her." His golden eyes then lifted and connected with green ones. Smirking he held out his hand and with his voice deep and lustful he called, "Oriana. Come here, my blossom."

Immediately, Kuronue got to his feet, "Oriana, don't move," he ordered which she answered with a small nervous nod. "Don't do this, Youko. You'll only frighten her and you'll regret it all once you're sane again," he told his partner grabbing his arm to pull him back out in the hall. Kurama growled loudly, snarling at his best friend. The fox fought against Kuronue's grasp, thrashing more like a wild animal then his usual calculated movements.

"Yomi, help me get him upstairs!" the bat demon shouted, trying to hold back Youko.

The horned demon quickly got up and took hold of Kurama's other arm. Together they dragged the raging demon out into the hall and toward the stairs. Oriana was to frightened to go against the bat demon's order. All she could do was sit there and watch as her companion was removed growling and shrieking like an animal. This was the first time she had ever seen him anything but calm and collected.

She could hear Kuronue's voice echo off the stone walls down the corridor, "I need servants to get Oriana's things out of Kurama's room and set up a room for her on the other floor on the opposite side of the castle!" An animalistic shriek followed the order.

It felt like hours had passed when Kuronue came back to the study and plopped back down into his spot next to the human woman. He sighed an exhausted sigh before turning a kind indigo gaze toward the woman.

"He's calmed down now. Youko needs to be quarantined for several more days so that the season can pass. You'll have to stay away from him for now," the bat explained.

"I understand. Thank you for protecting me, Kuro," Oriana said softly, green eyes filled with sadness.

"Someone has to," he told her placing a hand on her head as if she were a child.

Smiling sadly the woman spoke, "Since Youko is still out of commission, I'll be helping you on your next heist. I'll need to make a simple communication device so that I know when to crash the security. I'll need a couple of things to make it."

Retracting his hand after ruffling her hair, Kuronue replied, "Make a list and Yomi will get them for you. I want to stay here and make sure that Youko doesn't try anything."

Yomi managed to get everything on the list by nightfall. Oriana began making the simple communication device but stopped when it got late. After locking her workshop, the woman went to her temporary room to go to bed. The lock would seem unnecessary but Oriana felt that it would deter anyone from bothering to enter. Also this would give her a chance to catch them if they did try to enter. She did not want her little projects to be stolen by Yomi or the other thieves for extra heists not approved by Kurama. If they needed her tools then it meant that the job would be too dangerous without the bat and fox with them.

The room was nice with a canopy bed and bathroom attached. The only thing the human did not really care for was that all she could see out of the window was the forest. Actually one other thing bothered her, she was completely alone. At least while Youko was gone she could snuggle with a pillow that smelt like him to help sooth her into sleep. Now she had nothing. Sighing to herself, the woman dressed for bed and tried her hardest to fall asleep.

A floor above, Kurama was pacing in his room growling softly. All he could think about was his Oriana. The servants had removed everything of hers including the book she took to bed with her at night. They even changed the bedding so her scent no longer remained. Kuronue took her away from him and hid her in another room. There was no way for him to get to his Oriana either. The doors and windows were both barred and locked from the outside. Even with all of his skills he could not get out. Five more days until Kuronue would let him out. Until then he would remain like a caged animal.

The bat demon was coming out of the armory after returning his weapons for the day. He was heading for the staircase when he noticed that the door to Youko's study was cracked and there was a light on inside. Curious he went in only to see the human woman sitting on the window bench reading. She was dressed in her nightgown and matching silk robe. Dark circles were beneath her eyes from lack of sleep.

"Oriana, what are you doing down here so late?" the bat demon asked concerned.

The woman glanced up from her book and answered, "I can't sleep so I'm trying to tire myself out."

Kuronue shook his head, "You're that used to sleeping in the same bed as Youko? He doesn't tire you out himself before bed, does he?"

The book the human had been reading flew passed his head. Oriana's face was bright red causing her demon friend to laugh. "It's not like that! We've never done…that!" she shrieked, completely embarrassed.

"Calm down. I was only joking. He would not have gone off in search of a random woman for his season if he was already having fun with you," Kuronue laughed picking up the book and handing it back to her, "Are you going to be able to train tomorrow?"

"Do you think we could skip it for once? At least then I could finish up the communication device tomorrow and you can go on your mission by tomorrow night," the woman suggested.

"I think I can make an exception," the bat answered as he turned to leave, "Try to get some sleep, Oriana."

"I'll try. Goodnight, Kuro," she smiled softly.

Sighing softly Oriana set down her book and opened the window to feel the night air. The nights were beautiful in the Makai. There were two moons, both currently in crescent form, that hung in the sky surrounded by billions of twinkling stars. The courtyard looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Oriana took a deep breath and as she released it a soft melody came out. The song that came to mind was My Sanctuary by Utanda Hikaru. She was not sure why she decided to sing that particular song, but it felt right to sing it out to the night sky. Maybe Youko's keen ears could hear her. With any luck it would sooth him. After all did not music sooth the savage beast?

The next day Oriana got up late but managed to complete her latest project. It was two boxes each with a button and red light. They could communicate over a large distance. When one button was pushed the other box's light would turn on. The idea was that once the thieves were near the target, Kuronue would push the button causing Oriana's to light up. She would then crash the security system. Once it goes down, the woman would then push her button to signal the thieves to go ahead. Oriana was not good with making radios, and if they bought a set there was a good chance that the frequency could be detected by the target. This was the best and simplest option.

After another restless night, the entire castle of thieves, excluding Youko left in the morning to travel across Raizen's land. They reached their target around three in the morning. Oriana crashed the system for them and when she was signaled that they were safe and returning she went to bed. The thieves would not be back until the next night, weighted down by whatever they had stolen.

Oriana woke up well after sunrise, happy to be getting at least six hours of sleep. She dressed in her kimono styled dress. It rested off her shoulders and had long bell sleeves. A silver swirl design decorated the collar and sleeve edges. A thick silver sash around her waist and tied in a bow in the back, kept the garment closed. After breakfast, Oriana decided to spend most of the day outside since it was a warm and sunny day.

Over the past couple of days, Kurama had regained most of his rational mind. However, his lust for his companion still remained unsatisfied. He watched from the balcony doors as his Oriana entered the courtyard. He smirked to himself as a plan formed in his mind on how to get to the woman. With her outside it would be easy. With a wave of his hand the hedges to his garden parted, making an entrance. Just as the thief king had hoped, Oriana's curiosity lead her inside. Kurama then hurried over to his fireplace and pressed on a specific brick near the back. The back of the fireplace then slid aside to reveal a secret passage. Youko had this installed incase of invasion or mutiny. It lead straight into his garden. Now thinking more clearly he was able to use it.

The beauty in front of her transfixed the human. A large cherry tree in full bloom stood in the center of the large garden. The walkways made of grass, curved around dozens of red rose bushes, orchids, lilies, and other flowers that Oriana could not name. She had known that Kurama could control plants for sometime as weapons, but never knew that he could create such beauty too. She was so focused on the flowers, that the woman never noticed her entrance to the garden close.

A few moments later some bushes parted revealing a passageway and the king of thieves. Oriana stopped her admiring of the flowers as soon as she saw him. She knew he was not out of his mating season yet. The woman made no movements and did her best to slow her heartbeat. Foxes were predators so she would not allow herself to appear as prey.

"My blossom, you have been away from me for far too long," the fox spoke in his deep seductive voice, "You have been lonely, have you not? Do not worry I will remove that dreadful feeling from you at once."

He held open his arms for her, but she did not move. "My lord, you are still not yourself. Please don't do this," Oriana pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.

Lowering his arms slowly, his eyes softened. "You are afraid of me," he stated barely above a whisper. His rational mind was taking hold at the sight of her tears. Kuronue was right, she was frightened of **him**. The woman had not feared him since her first day of captivity and even then she had not cried.

"Please, my lord. I do not wish to loose my innocence," she begged, hoping to appeal to him in this moment of sanity.

Clenching his fists Kurama responded, "Oriana, I do not wish to hurt you, but my body yearns for you and you alone. Only you can give me release."

"Can you not wait two more days?" the human asked blushing deeply.

"Waiting is no longer an option," Youko explained taking a few steps closer.

"Is there another way without us having…," she paused embarrassed and turning redder than the roses, "…sex?"

He took hold of her chin and ran his chin and ran his thumb over her lips. "What are you suggesting?" he inquired with a sexy smirk.

The woman looked down and played with her fingers nervously. "What if I… just used my…hands?" every last bit of blood in her body appeared to fill her face.

The demon's eyebrows raised at her suggestion but a smile crossed his face none the less. "If you are willing, my blossom, I find the suggestion more than acceptable."

He took her hand before she could change her mind and lead her over to the cherry blossom tree. The king of thieves sat down beneath it, pulling his companion down beside him. Oriana knelt quietly beside him and waited while he removed his white pants and threw aside the long loose part of his tunic. His lower half now completely exposed, the human woman could now see his rather large erect member. She could not help but stare for a moment. His size would certainly make any human male jealous. Was it just because he was a demon, or was it because he was just gifted?

"Oriana," Kurama growled, but not an angry one, more lustful, "Hurry before I decide to take action myself."

Not wishing to risk him taking charge, Oriana reached out and grasped his member with both hands. Youko sucked in his breath and moaned in response. Taking a deep breath she slowly moved her hands up and down. The woman had only read about these kinds of things so she could only hope that she was doing it right. The fox's moans and groans encouraged her to continue.

"Grip harder," he groaned through his teeth.

She did as she was told causing him to moan loudly as his head fell back against the tree trunk. Feeling a little more confident, Oriana moved her hands faster. Soon she could feel his member throb beneath her fingers.

"Oriana!" Youko moaned loudly one final time as he reached orgasm.

His sticky white seamen covered her hands as he relaxed against the tree. Oriana did not want to wipe it off on her dress or Youko's clothes. Then a thought crossed her mind. She had often heard different things about how seamen tasted. So her curiosity drover her to want to know what it tasted like. Through half lidded eyes, Kurama watched as the woman brought her hand up to her mouth. Her tongue flicked out to lick one of her fingers clean. The human's eyes widened as she realized that it was just really salty yet kind of sweet at the same time. She continued to lick her fingers and palms clean.

"Keep doing things like that, my blossom and I'll be ready for another round," the thief king said softly, looking relaxed and content. "You smell a little aroused, Oriana. Are you sure you do not wish to have some fun of your own?" he suggested with a smirk.

Red faced, she answered, "My lord, are you back to normal?"

"I have been since you released me, my blossom," Youko explained, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to make sure you'll listen to what I have to say."

"I am listening."

Feeling a little uncomfortable with him being half naked, she threw his tunic over his lower body before speaking, "My lord, I promised myself that I would never have sex with anyone unless I loved them and they loved me. And that I planned to be with them for the rest of my life. I mean no offense to you. I just can't have sexual relations with you because of that."

Kurama thought for a moment before he requested, "Explain to me what love is. I have heard of the emotion before but only described vaguely as a human emotion."

"It's such an abstract concept. It's hard to explain," Oriana said surprised.

"You are quite intelligent. I'm sure you can find a way to," he reassured.

Oriana smiled to herself as she thought how best to described the feeling. "Well there are different kinds of love. I'll explain a more common one first before I try to explain the one I meant earlier," she began.

"Go on," the fox urged.

"I don't mean to open old wounds, but when your mother died did it feel like your whole world crumbled? Did you want to do anything just to bring her back?" the woman asked softly, thinking of when her own parents had died.

Kurama visibly tensed before he answered with sad eyes, "That was many years ago, my blossom, but you are surprisingly accurate."

"You loved your mother. Love for a parent and a parent for a child is a simple love, but still strong. But there is another stronger kind of love between two unrelated people. The person you love is someone you feel more comfortable with than anyone. So much so you'd trust them with your life as well as be willing to risk your life just to protect them. You feel complete around the person you love, and when you are apart you feel as if something important is missing. That person you want to spend the rest of your life with, otherwise its just not worth living. It also makes you happy just to make them or see them happy."

Oriana stopped to choose her next words, "The feeling of love is gentle at first. Just being in their arms or visa versa brings you joy. But that gentle feeling can grow into fiery passion. That passion is what leads to…sexual activates. I don't know if that helped you understand but its hard to comprehend unless you've experienced it. That's sort of why I used your mom as an example."

"You seem very knowledgeable. Have you experienced love?" Youko asked curious.

"Infatuation but never love for anyone other than my parents. Most of what I told you is what I heard from others or read in books," she answered sadly, "You're the first person other than my parents to think I'm worth anything."

The king of thieves reached out and caressed her cheek. "Thank you for explaining it to me, my blossom," he told her as he leaned in and softly pressed his lips against hers.

'The feeling of love is gentle at first.'

Youko pulled away leaving his companion confused. "The trees tell me that Kuronue and the others are almost home. Go and clean up. I'll return to my room as if nothing has happened. Tomorrow I will make it up to you."

Oriana found it odd for him to be saying that Kuronue was nearby already. Wasn't it still the afternoon? Looking up at the surrounding area, the woman noticed that it had gotten dark. The light in the garden was coming from bell shaped flowers that lined the walkways.

"I guess I'll get going," the woman said as she stood, "Good night, my lord."

When the thieves returned, Oriana was already dressed for bed, only smelling of her bath oils. Kurama was back in his room thinking about the woman's explanation of love. They went to bed that night, each in their own rooms, thinking about the other.

The next morning while the human sat at the table and ate her breakfast, Kuronue and Youko both entered the room. Oriana could not help but smile as she saw the thief king.

"The warden let you out on parole?" the woman joked as they sat down.

Kurama smirked, "I got out for good behavior. By the way 'warden,' I'd like to take Oriana with me into town. I have to pick up some intelligence one of my contacts has. I am sure she would like to leave the grounds for a little while. If you do not mind my taking your student from you."

Kuronue chuckled at the warden comment before answering, "If Oriana is willing to travel with you in a possibly unstable state it is up to her."

Without much hesitation she said, "If it means I get to see more of Demon World, I'd love to!"

"Then it's settled," Kurama concluded, "Go change your cloths and meet me out in the courtyard."

After quickly changing into her off the shoulder princess cut dress, the woman met her companion out in the courtyard. He handed her a brown hooded cloak that matched the one that was already pinned around his neck. She put it on only to find that it was big for her, falling to her feet.

"Don't worry we'll find you a new one in the market," Youko reassured.

They were about to put their hoods up and leave when Kuronue stopped them. He held out a pouch filled with coins from the sound of it. "Here's a little spending money, Oriana. Just incase you see anything you want or need for your inventions," he told her.

Oriana smiled at the gesture and hugged him around the waist. "That's sweet of you, Kuro, but I don't think I'll be buying anything. There isn't much that I want nor need," she explained to him before retracting her arms. She hurried back over to her companion and shouted over her shoulder, "Thank you, anyway, Kuronue!"

Hoods up, the two began to leave through the front gate. The bat demon called after them, "Youko, watch your coin purse with that one!"

"What is he talking about, my blossom?" the thief king asked.

Grinning, Oriana produced a coin purse from under her cloak. Chuckling Kurama wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. "That's my girl," he laughed.

Halfway through the forest the thief king stepped walking. From under his cloak he pulled out a single large purple lily type flower. Oriana cringed and pulled away at seeing the bloom. Youko reached for her hand and drew her back gently.

"Do not worry, my blossom. It is not the same flower you are thinking of. It does not have the sleeping pollen in it. This flower is just to act as a filter so you can breathe past this point," he explained trying to reassure her, "Do not stop trusting me now."

Taking a deep breath the woman responded, "Sorry. Of course I trust you, my lord."

He held out the flower for her to take, "Place it over your nose and mouth. The petals will stick to your skin to hold it in place."

The human did as she was told. She found she could breathe through the flower, but all she could smell was its soft scent. Oriana felt a little silly with a flower stuck to her face, but she knew this was the only way she would be able to see more of Demon World.

"Now keep your hood up and head down. Let no one see your face," Youko informed her.

Pulling her hood forward more she said, "I will."

The nearest town turned out to be very far away. After leaving the forest that protected the hideout, the companions had to cross a desert land. Luckily unlike Human World deserts, the temperature was comfortable. At least they would not be sweating under their heavy cloaks. Hours later they reached an huge oasis in which a town was built. Hundreds of demons worked their way through the streets. Oriana was amazed at just how many kinds of demons there were.

Youko lead them down a few streets and into a tavern. There were a dozen round tables in the center and to the left of the room. There were a few demons around one table playing cards. On the right side was the bar with an older demon behind it. He looked mostly human except for his pointed ears and golden eyes like Kurama's. The bartender had shaggy white hair and a short bushy beard. He looked up from his cleaning as the two sat down at the bar, much to Oriana's relief.

"My friend, you usually don't bring someone with you on your visits," the bartender commented eyeing the hooded human.

"She is a dear companion of mine, Sam. She has a very sensitive nose and can not travel often. I have given her a way to travel and an opportunity to see the outside world," the fox lied.

"Well I know why you are here. But would you and your companion like a drink?" Sam offered.

"Ora?" Kurama asked shortening her name to wordlessly explain it is how he can be addressed as well.

"If I can," she answered her voice muffled by the flower.

"Something sweet for her and my usual," Kurama told the bartender then spoke softly to the woman sitting beside him, "You can remove the flower around your mouth but keep it over your nose."

"Thank you, my lord. I will," Oriana reached under the hood and lifted the flower's petals from her mouth but made sure to keep her nose covered.

"Lord? I thought you were a king not a lord," Sam joked as he set two glasses on the bar.

Laughing Youko responded, "But it does not have the same ring to it. Now about the reason for my visit."

"Always straight to business with you, Yo," the bartender said before they started quietly conversing.

Not bothering to listen, the woman sipped her red drink which was indeed very sweet. She looked up at a decent sized television to see that they were showing a fighting tournament. One of the two demons in the ring was decapitated, ending the match. The crowd roared with cheers. Oriana cringed and looked away.

"That would be the Dark Tournament. Wealthy humans make up teams of demons to fight in it once a year in the Human World. Spirit World lets it happen because it keeps demon crime down. Can't go if you're in a Reikai jail. A lot of us go to Human World to watch it live but for some the risk is too great so they watch the recording on the TV a month later like this," Sam explained after realizing what the woman was watching.

"But why compete? Why fight for the human's amusement?" Oriana questioned.

"Because of the prize for the winning team," the bartender answered, "The winning team gets each of their wishes granted. I heard of a human who won once and wished to be a powerful demon."

"Certainly a grand prize, but not worth the risk," Youko commented.

"So you wouldn't do it?" the woman asked her companion.

Chuckling the fox told her, "No. I am not so foolish."

Smiling to herself she said softly, "Good."

Kurama could not help but smile beneath his hood at the woman's concern for him. "If you don't mind, old friend, I wanted to take Ora around the market before we head home," he told Sam before finishing his drink.

"If you insist. Here are the papers you needed," Sam slide a roll of papers over the countertop to is friend, "Stop by more often, Yo and bring your lovely companion. The poor woman doesn't seem to get out much."

"We shall see, old friend," Youko told him as he dropped a small sack of coins on the bar, then stood to leave.

Oriana slide off her bar stool and remembered something. She looked in Sam's direction, "How much do I owe you for the drink?"

"Don't worry about it, Ora. First one is on the house," the bartender reassured.

"Thank you," she told him with a small bow of the head, "I hope to see you again, Sam."

"You too. Make sure that Yo takes you out more often," he said with a smile far too kind for a stereotypical demon.

Laughing she answered, "I'll try." She then quickly caught up to Youko who was leaving the tavern, while replacing the flower.

The fox demon lead his companion into the busy marketplace. First he took her to a stall that sold cloaks and allowed her to pick one out that would be both inconspicuous and she liked. Oriana choose a dark brown one made of a light cotton. Around the hood, down the edges in the front and along the bottom were swirls of silver thread. It clasped shut in front of the neck with a silver pin in the shape of a rose. Youko approved of it saying that it was lovely and yet no one would glance at her twice. Which was the point.

The woman paid for it with three silver coins from Kuronue's stolen coin purse. The merchant then bundled it in while paper and string before giving her the package. Kurama then proceeded to guide her around the market letting her choose where to stop and look. Most of the booths were for food or clothing, but one did catch the human's eye. This booth sold all sorts of computer parts and equipment. Oriana bought a few things she needed for some ideas she had in mind. As well as a couple of things to fix the electronic lock pick that was accidentally broken on one of the latest heists. (Yomi was no longer allowed to hold it.)

She stopped at another stall and bought an over the shoulder sling bag to carry all of her purchases in. By the time they left the town there were still many coins in Kuronue's purse. Much to Kurama's enjoyment, his companion was an excellent haggler.

On the trip home Kurama could not help but chuckle at his companion who was walking ahead of him practically skipping. When they were safely inside the forest that the hideout was nestled in, Oriana did a little twirl among the trees. This made the thief king laugh to himself some more. The movement caused her hood to fall back. Being so deep into Kurama's territory, it no longer mattered if her face was seen. She looked a little silly with the flower over half of her face, but Youko focused more on her eyes as she fell back into step with him. Her emerald eyes were sparkling with happiness.

"I'm guessing you enjoyed your trip?" the fox observed.

She turned her still sparkling gaze to him and answered, "Very much. The castle is beautiful and all but it was nice to see more of Demon World. Will you please allow me to come with you into town again?"

"Maybe. We shall have to see. You must understand that this world is a dangerous place for a human. We may not always have pleasant trips like this one," he warned her.

Smiling the woman told him, "I know. Not all demons are as charming as you."

Kurama chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Do not forget that fact, my blossom."

He had to admit that seeing her so happy had brought him more pleasure than stealing ever did. 'It makes you happy just to make them happy.' Her words from yesterday came back into his mind. Did that mean that he loved Oriana? The fox enjoyed her company and his libido craved her. But he was unsure if he could use this newly learned emotion to describe how he felt about his companion. He would just have to wait and see.

* * *

So I gave you all a nice long chapter to read and hold you over for a little while. I realized that this chapter is also longer than any I have written for my other fan fiction too. I also apologize to those who wanted a real sex scene but baby steps my friends. My characters aren't sluts. But next chapter you will be satisfied with sexy Youko. More importantly, if you have yet to donate to Japan's relief fund, please do. Even if it is only $5. Remember all the anime and manga we enjoy and love came from there. We should do our best to support them. The Red Cross has donations available on their website and through the Playstation Network if you own a PS3. I do not own and XBOX so I do not know if the option is there for Live. Well I will see you all next time. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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It has been a month since her first outing with the king of thieves. He has only taken her out one other time since then. At the moment, Oriana sat in a tree in the courtyard grinning madly to herself. The woman had set a clever trap while both Kurama and Kuronue went to go steal something in the morning. She had made sure to disguise her scent the best she could before she choose her hiding spot. Having bathed in plain water without oils earlier and rubbing leaves on her bare skin. Now all she had to do was wait.

The woman only had to wait a few hours before the two thieves reentered the courtyard. Slowing her heartbeat and breathing, she watched as they drew closer.

Kurama chuckled to himself as he noticed his companion's scent up in one of the trees in the courtyard. He approached it while saying, "If you thought you could ambush me, my blossom. You will have to be more clever than that."

Just as he stepped close to the tree trunk, a rope snagged his ankle and drew him up off his feet. He now hung upside down, his bag of loot on the ground below him. In an instant, Oriana jumped down from a nearby cherry blossom tree and snagged the bag before running as fast as her human legs could carry her back to the castle. The bat demon was laughing so hard from the sight that he had fallen over.

Kurama swung his upper body up so that he could cut the rope around his ankle. He landed gracefully on his feet before telling his friend, "It is not that amusing, Kuro."

The bat wiped a tear from his eye before he stood. His laughter contained for the most part. "Sorry, Youko. But the shock on your face was priceless."

"Let us just go and get our treasure back," the fox sighed and lead them inside.

When they entered the main hall, nearly all of their thieves were gathered around the table. Many of them were swearing and yelling back and forth. One of them noticed their leaders' entrance and shouted, "Did you let your human get away with that, Kurama? She got a gold coin from each of us! It was a sure bet that she would lose!"

So she had bet them that she would be able to steal his takings for the day. Oriana was being rather over confident. He would be having a talk with her, but for now he had damage control to do on his reputation. "Of course I let her," Youko lied calmly, "Now tell me where she has gone."

"After she collected her money she ran upstairs," another thief spoke up.

Kuronue and Kurama both made their way over to the doorway that lead upstairs. The fox stopped at the door and glanced over to his men before telling them, "And yes, Oriana keeps the money."

Shouts, swears, and groans echoed through the hall as their leader left to find his companion. In the stairwell the fox demon could pick up her scent once again and followed it up two floors and into the hall. Oriana was a little down the hall, standing in front of Youko's treasure vault. The bag was at her feet and her arms were crossed as she waited. She smiled at first when she saw them, but it quickly turned into laughter. The woman held her sides she laughed so hard, leaning against the wall for support.

"I'm sorry, my lord," she said between slowing laughter, "It's just that I never thought it would work."

"Yet you bet my men," Kurama accused, stepping closer.

"They saw me with everything and asked what I was doing. I told them and they bet me," she explained, "I figured it would be good spending money so I wouldn't have to use money 'borrowed' from Kuronue anymore."

"And our taking from today?" the bat demon questioned.

Smiling sweetly she informed them, "Oh that is all yours. That is why I waited for you both here. Sort of my attempt at no hard feelings."

Kurama drew closer to the woman with a straight face. Scared she may have offended him, Oriana backed up only to run into the wall. The fox stared down at her intensely making her a little nervous. After moment he leaned in and gave the woman a soft kiss.

"Your little trap was clever and effective," he praised her, "However, I do not appreciate being your target."

"It won't happen again, my lord," she promised, her cheeks flushed pink.

"Go bathe and change, my blossom. Then meet us in my study," Youko told her, backing up slightly.

"Yes, my lord," Oriana left the treasure sack and went up to her room to change and put her winnings in her drawer of the dresser.

It was a hot day, so after taking a bath Oriana dressed in her coolest dress. This dress reminded her of a roman toga. It was loose flowing white fabric that came to her knees. The dress was held up by a single thick strap that went over her right shoulder. The waist had a thick silver band that wrapped around.

Once dressed she started down the hall toward the stairs. She considered stopping by her workshop to pick up her computer. It seemed that more and more often, Youko would choose places that required her expertise. The woman managed to only take a few steps before she spotted Yomi standing in the middle of the hall.

"Hello, Yomi," she greeted, with a smile though she never liked Yomi but always tried to be civil, "Would you like to walk with me to Youko's study?"

"No," he said stepping closer, "There is something else I would like to do with you though."

The hidden meaning did not get passed Oriana. She quickly bolted for the stairs, but the horned demon grabbed her wrist and swung her into the wall. He pressed his body against the human's and held her wrists above her head with a single hand. Oriana tried to scream but the demon covered her lips with his. It made her sick, his kissing her. She wanted nothing more than to get away from this horrible demon. While still sloppily kissing her he used his free hand to tear away the strap that held the top of her dress up exposing her breasts. Tears formed in the woman's eyes as he groped her. She had to do something. Her innocence was at stake. There was only one thing the human could think of. It was her only hope, it had to work. Swiftly she brought her knee up with all of her strength. Yomi groaned in pain and released her. Luckily for the woman, male demons had the same soft spot as male humans. Without hesitation, Oriana made a break for the stairs.

"Bitch!" she heard Yomi scream behind her.

She never paused or looked back. Down the stone steps she ran, her arms covering her chest. As she ran the woman shouted the name of the first person she trusted, "Youko!"

"Youko!" his companion's panicked voice echoed in the castle. Said fox demon got to his feet and was out in the hall in the blink of an eye. Oriana came sprinting from the stairs and into Kurama. She hugged him tightly around the middle. The first thing the fox noticed was that her dress from the waist up was in shreds, followed by the tears in her eyes. Kuronue came out a second later to see what had happened.

"Oriana, what happened? Who hurt you?" he spoke in a low growl, his arms tightening around her.

"Yomi…he…," Oriana sobbed as footsteps stopped by the stairs before quickly continuing down them to the bottom.

Kurama was growling loudly now, glaring over the woman's head at where he had gotten a glimpse of Yomi. "Kuronue, take Oriana upstairs to bathe to get his stench off and change. I have a traitor to deal with," he told his friend as he gently push the human behind him.

Taking the white cloth he had always wrapped around his waist off, Kuronue placed it around Oriana's shoulders to cover her. The woman pulled it tight around her then reached out and grabbed Youko's arm before he could run off. She could not meet his intense gaze however, and stared at the floor.

"Please, don't kill him," she requested, "He deserves punishment, but I don't want to think about you as a killer."

"I've killed many demons in my lifetime," Kurama countered.

"But not anyone I ever knew," Oriana responded, "Please just don't kill him."

"I will try but I make no promises," with that he left.

"It's a demon pride thing. Yomi touched and violated what was Youko's," the bat demon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her upstairs, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

When they were in Youko's room and the woman was heading into the bathroom, Kuronue went to take his leave. Oriana quickly grabbed his hand, using the other to keep the cloth around her, "Please don't leave. I really don't want to be alone right now," she requested gently.

Kuronue's pale cheeks turned slightly pink. "I'd be next on Youko's list if I went in there with you."

It was Oriana's turn to blush now, "No, I didn't mean that. Can you please just stay by the door? I'll feel safer with you here until Youko comes back."

"Alright. I won't move, until Youko gets back anyway," he reassured, "Now get in there already."

Oriana took a long hot bath. She scrubbed vigorously at her body, trying to feel clean again. By the time she was done her skin was red and as far as she could tell she only smelt of the rose oil. After drying herself off she wrapped herself in her robe and stepped out into her room, torn clothing bundled in her arms.

Kuronue watched her from his spot against the wall with his arms crossed. Oriana crossed the floor toward the fireplace. Because it was a warm day, there was no fire burning. She threw a couple of logs in and lit them with a match. A fire slowly grew to life as it grouped the logs. When the fire was strong enough the woman threw the ruined dress into the flames. The fire quickly grew and consumed the garment.

"The servants could have fixed that you know," Kuronue spoke up.

Still watching the flames, she held herself, "The memory would haunt me every time I'd wear it." Turning away from the flames Oriana approached the bat demon and held out his white cloth, "Thank you."

He took it and replaced it around his waist, "No problem. Look, so you know Youko isn't going to be himself when he gets back. Just relax and it would be best not to fight him on anything. Do as he says. Otherwise he might try to claim you."

The human swallowed hard. She did not like the idea of Youko trying to do what he was going to punish Yomi for. Sure she liked Kurama and was physically attracted to him, but she did not wish for him to rape her.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Kuronue encouraged. His large pointed ears twitched, "He's coming back now. I have to leave."

Before the bat could leave, Oriana hugged him tightly around the middle, "Thank you for staying with me, Kuro."

Pulling away he told her, "You're welcome. Now I really need to go. Good luck." With that he slipped out the door and down the hall into his room.

The woman sat down on the edge of the bed and waited quietly. She did not wait long before the king of thieves entered, slamming the door behind him. Youko hurried over to the bed, sat down beside the human, and pulled her into his lap. He held her tightly in his arms, nuzzling her hair and neck. All the while growling softly.

"Do not move," he spoke quietly, "I am not entirely in control of my instincts right now."

They sat silently for awhile before Kurama said, "The coward has run off. He will probably return in a few days after he is sure I well not end his worthless existence."

"Thank you for heeding my request, my lord," Oriana said meekly.

"If it makes you more comfortable around me believing I am not a killer than I will do as you ask," he told her simply, hugging her tighter, "And please stop calling me that."

Oriana turned her head to look at him, causing the fox to pull his head back. "But you told me to when I first got here," she countered, "You demanded it."

Kurama growled and drew her close once more, "I have changed my mind. Do not question it."

His sudden anger frightened Oriana. Even though she was instructed not to make any movements, she slid an arm free. Carefully the woman reached up behind Youko's head and rubbed one of his ears. The fox began to relax at her touch. He nuzzled her neck affectionately and gave it a swift lick, causing her to shiver and bite back a moan. Oriana concentrated on running her fingers through his silver hair instead. In return, Kurama rubbed his head against hers, like most animals do, and then proceeded to lick her cheek. This one just made her giggle.

Carefully Oriana slid out of his lap to sit beside him once more. Gently she guided his upper body so his head rested on her thighs. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, and eventually she had one hand petting his head and the other his tail. Youko made a noise somewhere between a purr and a growl. This was always the noise he made when the woman did this.

It was so long before he moved or said anything, that Oriana thought that he had fallen asleep. The sound of his voice nearly spooked her when she heard it, "Oriana, never leave."

"Why would I?" she asked confused.

"There are many reasons, my blossom," he responded, nuzzling her leg.

"Don't worry I don't plan to. I've grown very fond of you, Youko," the woman confessed.

The fox demon sat up so he could look at her. He saw that her face was gentle and sincere. Smirking Kurama rested his forehead against hers and said, "Is that so?"

"As foolish as it is for me to be attached to my captor, a thief, and a demon on top of that," she said softly.

Chuckling Kurama responded, "I do not think it foolish at all."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Oriana giggled laying her head down on his shoulder. She nuzzled his neck like he always did to her, causing him to make a sound of contentment. "Weren't we supposed to have a meeting in your study? It's still early."

"I was hoping that we could stay here. I am not entirely myself still. Those plans can be discussed at another time," he told her hugging her tightly.

"Don't think we're going to have a romp around the bed, just because I said I like you," the woman said simply.

"I would not! Not after that bastard…" Youko growled.

Oriana could not help but laugh at his reaction. She did not see his annoyed look before she explained, "You really need to learn how to take a joke."

"I saw no amusement in your insinuation," Kurama told her seriously, then proceeded to nip her ear in warning.

"I'm sorry. I was only being playful," she apologized.

"Since you are being playful does that mean you are feeling better, Oriana?" Youko asked.

"Much better. Thank you," the woman answered. They were silent for a moment before she spoke up once more, "You know that I won't leave you, but what about you? Would you toss me aside? What if some pretty demoness catches your eye?"

The fox demon pulled back a little so he could look her in the eye, "Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Your reputation proceeds you," Oriana answered.

"Who told you these things?" he questioned not happy with how she perceived him.

"Kuro," the human replied simply.

Kurama growled softly. He would have to talk with his best friend later. His companion kissed his cheek, ceasing his growls. "You never answered my question."

"I would never."

"I'll die long before you will."

Drawing her close once more, he told her, "It doesn't matter."

That night Oriana went to bed happier then she had ever been. For once she felt wanted by another. Even if that person was a demon, it did not matter. Sure he did not say that he loved her, but he did want her to stay with him. It was strange how good it made her feel to hear him say that. Oriana did not want to admit it, but she was more than just fond of the fox demon.

Youko behaved himself and did not try to be physical with his human companion, as he usually tried to before bed. He knew she was emotionally wounded and wanted to give her time to heal. The last thing that Kurama wanted was for Oriana to think of him as someone like Yomi.

The next morning, Youko got out of bed without waking his companion. Downstairs in the mess hall he found Kuronue and asked him to join him in his study. Curious, the bat demon followed him upstairs.

Once they sat down at the table Kurama said, "Kuronue, do you remember that old castle near the southern border of Raizen's and Mukuro's land? The one we raided when it was only the two of us?"

"What? That big place that had hundreds of traps and thousands of guards that nearly got us killed? It's abandoned now, isn't it?" the bat demon asked wondering where his friend was going with this.

"Yes," Youko verified, "When you are finished training Oriana, I need you to reset the traps there. Later tonight I'm going to need you to keep an eye on Oriana for me." Crossing his arms, Kuronue questioned, "Alright. It's gonna take a couple of days to reset all of those traps though. But what is all this for anyway?"

"I've decided to weed out any traitors amongst our ranks."

"You're baiting Yomi and anybody stupid enough to follow him."

"Tonight I will spread rumors of a grand treasure that Yomi can not resist. I will also be hiring an assassin to ensure they do not return."

"So because Oriana asks you not to kill Yomi, you are going to send an assassin after him instead. I should've known you wouldn't let him go so easily, Youko."

"He should have known better, Kuronue. Can I trust you to help and to keep this from Oriana?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. Would you be able to continue spreading the rumor through your own contacts as well? I doubt Yomi will hear of it anytime soon, otherwise."

"Not a problem, my friend. As soon as I have the time I'll go contact them all."

"With any luck this whole problem will be gone in a few weeks."

* * *

Another chapter done. So originally I was going to have Kurama confess to Oriana that he loved her, but then I got all of those reviews about how you liked the fact that I was having them move slow. So I'm holding it off for another chapter. That and when I wrote it out the whole scene was kind of sappy. ^_^ Next chapter I'm sure you know what is coming for Yomi and the others especially if you watched the series all the way through. Also Youko's and Oriana's love for each other will be confessed and consummated. After all technically in the story it has been over a year that they've been living together. Well until next time my loyal readers.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

* * *

The following weeks after Youko chased Yomi out of the hideout, Oriana noticed the residents of the hideout acting odd. For a couple of days afterwards, after her morning training, Kuronue would leave the grounds for a destination unknown to her. During that time she'd spend time with Kurama until the bat came back. Then Kuronue would insist they play chess, which Oriana taught both thieves. While the two played, Youko would slip out for hours only to come back when the human was ready for bed.

Besides the two thieves closest to the woman, other thieves were acting strange. A little after a week that Oriana promised to never leave the fox demon, some of the lower ranked bandits would gather in small groups at the far end of the mess hall table at non-meal times. As time went by, more and more joined the groups. They tried their best to not be seen by the bat and fox, but Oriana would catch glimpses of them on her way out to the courtyard for when she wanted to spend a little time reading under one of the trees. On occasion she saw Yomi amongst them, after he felt safe returning to the castle. The woman tried not to think much of these events. It was all probably just preparations for raids. Youko and Yomi were most likely no longer wishing to work together. So they could have been working on their own projects.

Youko had already managed to acquire an assassin who did not ask questions and would keep quiet about who hired him. Now there was only one thing on his list to do. He just hoped that Sam would not laugh too hard at him. Oriana was left in Kuronue's care for most of the day. With his companion taken care of, the fox made his way to Sam's tavern.

"I never thought I would ever hear you ask a question like that," Sam laughed, tears in his eyes, at his hooded friend on the other side of the bar.

"Just tell me if you know or I'll just go elsewhere," the thief king growled.

"Alright. Alright. Calm down," the old demon said quieting his laughter, "Human mating rituals are very different then our ways. While demon mating marks are for life, humans simply wear rings to show that they are mated. A human woman's ring is most commonly a diamond ring. The rituals differ depending on the region the human is from but for the most part the beginning is the same. The male presents the diamond ring to the female on one knee while asking her to be his wife."

"That is it?" Kurama questioned skeptically.

"For the most part. If you give me a region I may be able to tell you more. I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, Yo," Sam defended.

"I do not know what region she is from," the fox admitted.

The old bartender smiled before telling his friend, "Then I have no other information to give you. Try not to scare her away. I like the girl."

Youko had never said that he was actually going to mate a human, only that he wanted to know about their mating rituals. Though thinking back on their conversation he pinpointed his verbal slip up. It figured that Sam would catch him, after all the old bartender taught him everything he knew.

"I have no intentions of doing so," Youko reassured, "As always, thank you for the information."

Sliding off his stool, the fox demon set a small pouch of gold on the counter only to have the bartender slide it back towards him. "This one's on the house," Sam told him with a grin.

Kurama could not help but chuckle as he looked down at the small bag. "Would you take it for information on where to find a ring of a style that suits my tastes?" the thief king inquired.

Reaching across the counter, Sam took the money back as he hummed in thought, "I believe I could think of something."

It was oddly silent in the castle hideout. Or so Oriana believed. Dinner had only finished about an hour ago and yet the usual noises of the hundred thieves were absent. The thief king, his best friend and his female companion were all seated in the study. Tired of playing chess for the past weeks, the three switched to card games. Currently they were playing poker which was played just as commonly in demon world as the human one. They were playing for a few copper and silver coins. Just enough to keep the game competitive.

"Do either of you find it odd that it is so quiet tonight? None of the men are fighting or shouting in their drunken stupors. Not even a slammed door," Oriana queried as she laid out her hand of an ace high flush straight.

Kuronue swore softly as he threw his hand onto the table. It consisted only of three kings. "Yomi must have gone off on his own again. Probably tempted most of the men to go with him," he explained with crossed arms.

"Oh that's right. There were more thieves here once and they died going with Yomi," the woman said with recognition, "You'd think the rest of them would learn from the other's mistakes."

"One would believe," Kurama spoke up laying down two pairs.

Smirking, Oriana collected the small pot in the center of the table. "You're not worried about them?" she asked, "It's your deal, Kuro."

"They chose to risk their necks by going with Yomi, Ora. It pretty much means they don't trust or respect us anymore. If they die it wont be any skin off our backs," the bat demon told her as he quickly shuffled and dealt the cards.

The woman sighed as she picked up the cards that had been tossed in front of her. Sometimes she forgot just how merciless those two could be. There were even times like when they just sat around talking and playing games, that Oriana would forget that they were even a different race than her.

Two days later neither Yomi nor anyone who had gone with him had come back. The hideout was strangely quiet with only the three of them and the servants living there. Kurama and Kuronue were not bothered at all by the whole thing. In fact they continued to plan heists for just the two of them, including Oriana in the planning process of course.

On the second night after none of the men returned, Youko asked his female companion to come with him outside. Not worried, only curious, the human followed him outside. The sun had set long ago, leaving only the stars to light the night, peeking through the clouds. He lead her to his garden, the bushes parted to allow them entry, before promptly closing behind them.

Oriana was struck with awe by the garden's beauty. Usually the lamp weeds only lined the walkways, but that night hundreds of smaller ones littered the cherry tree's branches and the surrounding bushes. The woman thought it looked like they were surrounded by fireflies.

"Why did you do this, Youko?" she asked stunned.

The fox chuckled as he said, "You will find out soon enough, my blossom."

He wrapped his left arm around her waist and guided her down the grassy path to the cherry tree that never lost its blooms. Oriana blushed as she thought back to what had happened the last time they sat beneath this tree. Standing by the trunk of the tree, Kurama held her cheek in his right hand and caressed the soft flesh with his thumb. He looked down at her with a tender gaze, never removing his golden eyes from her green ones.

"My blossom, I have thought about the words you told me under this tree for some time now. What you described to me, I have found myself feeling for you. For quiet some time in fact," Youko confessed.

Oriana's breath caught in her throat as she heard his words. Surely her captor was not saying what she thought he was saying. "If you are kidding, Youko, this is a mean trick," she told him breathlessly and voice filled with uncertainty.

Golden eyes softened further as the fox seemed hurt by the accusation. "I would not toy with your feelings. I would never wish to cause you harm or upset you," Kurama said sincerely, "I love you, Oriana."

The woman could feel tears in her eyes at his confession. It had been enough that he never wanted her to leave his side, but now he admitted that he loved her. "And," the thief king continued as he slowly lowered himself to one knee in front of her, causing her heart to thunder in her ears, "I want you to be my wife."

Oriana was never one to faint. However, with the way her head was swimming there was a chance she would at that moment. This had to be a dream. One of those fantasies that her subconscious showed her when she slept beside the fox. She was proven wrong when he took hold of her left hand with his clawed one. He felt too real for it to be a dream.

Next thing she knew, Youko pulled a box from his pant's pocket. The human could feel her knees shaking as he opened the lid to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The diamond was nearly the size of a dime in American currency and shaped to look like a blooming rose. The band was silver and shaped like two leaves that came from the rose and wrapped around the finger. Kurama slide the ring onto her left ring finger. It fit perfectly.

The thief king was beginning to grow worried. His companion had not said anything for sometime now and he could smell her anxiety. His ears folded back as he watched her, waiting to see what she would say to his proposal. "Oriana," he called softly.

She collapsed to her knees in front of him, tears streaming from her eyes as she met his. Pausing for one seemingly long moment, before the woman threw her arms around him. Burying her face in his neck she spoke, "I love you too, Youko. I've felt that way for months now. I never thought I'd ever hear you say that. Of course I'll be your wife."

Relaxing, Kurama held her close, smoothing her hair out with one hand. When she had stopped her tears she asked a question he had been expecting, "Are you sure you want to marry me? My life would go by in a blink of an eye for you."

"As I said before, it does not matter," he responded, "There is a choice you can make during the mating." She looked up at him intrigued and urged him to continue. "Demons and humans have mated in the past and there is an option available only to human females so that they can safely carry the offspring to full term. Quite often a human carrying a demon child dies during childbirth or in the later months of the pregnancy. A side effect of the process is that the female gains a demon's power and lifespan. It is a painful process and not necessary for us to mate. The choice is yours alone to make, my blossom."

"If it means I can see our children and remain with you as long as possible, I would happily become a demon," Oriana told him barely pausing to think, "I don't care even about the power."

Youko could barely contain the joy he felt at her words. She wished to remain with him forever, even give up her humanity. Kissing her with all the passion he felt for her, he lifted the woman up into his arms. Taking the secret passage, Kurama carried her back to their bedroom. Breaking the kiss only so he could see where he was going. Content in his arms, Oriana rested her head against his chest taking in his sweet scent of roses.

As they entered the room thick vines grew up and around the door, completely covering it. Youko did not want Kuronue or a servant to interrupt them. The fox laid his soon to be wife onto their bed gently, kneeling beside her.

"This is your last chance to change your mind about any of the things we have discussed. Once we being I won't be able to stop," Youko explained gently.

Oriana answered by taking his face in her hands and pulling him into a passionate kiss. The fox demon could not help but smirk into the kiss. He nibbled and sucked on her lower lip asking for entrance, which his companion happily complied. As their tongues explored each other's mouths, Kurama worked on removing her dress. Once the offensive material was off and tossed haphazardly across the room, the thief king paused for a moment to take in her virgin skin. The woman beneath him turned scarlet at being under his intense golden gaze. She turned even redder when he undressed himself and knelt over his in all his glory. Of course Oriana had seen what he looked like under his clothes, but only either the top or bottom half. It was a totally different experience seeing him all at once.

Youko surprised her as he slid in behind her, leaning back against the wall. He pulled the woman's back against his muscled chest. She had no idea what he was doing until she felt him brush her long hair aside and begin kissing her neck causing the human to shutter. Slowly Youko kissed, sucked and nibbled down her slender neck, making soft moans escaped her lips. As he paid loving attention to her neck, the fox slid his hands up her sides and over her chest before grasping both her breasts. Oriana gasped, her body automatically arching into his hands. Kurama chuckled as he fondled her mounds that had teased him for so long, while on occasion pinching her nipples. The woman's moans grew, and she could feel heat spread through out her body.

Oriana's head had fallen back against his shoulder. Youko rubbed his head against hers, pushing it gently so it lulled sideways. He brought his mouth to her ear and spoke in a husky voice, "I will give you ultimate pleasure before I claim you forever, my blossom."

The woman shivered in delight. Her head was already swimming with what he was doing now. Was it even possible to feel more pleasure? The scent of her arousal hit Youko full force after his declaration. It took nearly all of his willpower not to just mount her and bring both of them over the edge. He would exert self control so that he could please his soon to be wife as much as possible. After all she would be in a lot of pain tonight. It only seemed fair.

Curious to see just how aroused Oriana was, Kurama glided a hand down her stomach toward her neither regions while keeping the other on her breast. He slid a finger in between her folds and over her clit. The woman reacted instantly bucking toward his hand with a moan of pleasure. Youko paused in his mission for a moment, enjoying her reaction to the simple ministration. He began to circle the little nub and stroke it. Oriana shook and moaned loudly, her nails dug into his legs that were on either side of her.

"Youko," she moaned softly.

This only encouraged the fox more. Kurama continued to play with her clit until he was sure that she was about to go over the edge. He removed his hand from her for a moment. Instead running it along her inner thigh. His companion whimpered softly when he stopped. Youko was more than happy to comply but this time he returned to his previous mission.

Slipping one clawed finger inside, he could feel her heat and just how wet she was. She was very tight and every small movement of his finger made her moan. Youko knew that he would practically tear her open if he did not expand her before hand. So he slipped another finger inside, stretching her entrance. Oriana gasped and moaned. Her breathing was very heavy by this point. What Youko was doing to her was amazing and she did not want it to stop. Slowly at first, the thief king pumped in and out of her with his fingers. When he could feel her climax building again, Kurama moved faster. Every one of Oriana's exhales was a loud gasping moan that was music to the fox's ears.

Oriana had begun moving her hips in time with his fingers. In turn her lower back would rub against his throbbing member. Youko let out small grunts and moans each time. Those sounds were made by the woman's ear and ignited something within her. In a small moment of clarity, Oriana got an idea. While arching her back, the woman slid a hand behind her and grasped his member. Kurama let out a deep moan and buried his face in her neck. He nipped and sucked on one spot on her neck causing her grip to tighten. Growling against her skin, he doubled his efforts. Adding a third finger, the fox pumped harder. Oriana cried out and tried her best to continue stroking Youko. Her concentration was lost though when the warmth pooled in her lower belly and her toes curled. With one great cry, Oriana felt the pressure release and slumped against the fox demon's chest. She was breathing heavy and a great blush covered her nose and cheeks.

Kurama removed his fingers and pulled her close to him. Leaning into her ear he whispered with a growl, "I'm not done with you yet."

Before the woman knew what was happening, Youko was no longer beneath her and was instead straddling her hips. They shared a long heated kiss, Oriana burying her fingers in his hair. Breaking the kiss, Kurama kissed his way along her jaw and down toward her breasts. There he took turns licking and suckling on her nipples.

Oriana was not sure what made her do it. Maybe it was because his ears were now right in front of her face. She leaned forward and licked and sucked on the tip of one of Kurama's fox ears. A shiver shook his entire body and made him stop what he was doing. He stayed there for a moment on his hands and knees, facing her chest, not moving. Smirking the newly confident Oriana switched to the other ear and repeated the process and was rewarded with another shiver. What the woman could not see was that Kurama was clenching the pillows beneath his hands, claws tearing the fabric some. It suddenly became very hard to control himself.

"Oriana," Kurama moaned in a husky voice, "This will hurt. I'm sorry."

Once more capturing her lips, the fox plunged his throbbing member into her. He swallowed her cries and paused just long enough for the woman to adjust. Youko groaned as he waited. Oriana was so tight and he filled her completely. So much in fact that he could feel the top of her when he was completely in. The human woman had stopped whimpering after some time to adjust. Youko gave her a quick kiss before he licked the tears from her cheeks. She rubbed her head against his to show she was ready, since she did not trust her voice. Kurama returned the gesture before taking her earlobe between his teeth and tugged on it lightly while growling. Oriana gave a soft moan and even attempted to growl in return, which made the thief king smirk to himself.

Kurama started moving his hips slow at first. He did not want to cause the woman any more pain than necessary. With each movement she moaned, her eyes shut and head thrown back. It was not long before she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Her dark green eyes looked into his golden ones, glazed over in lust. She looked so beautiful to him at that moment. Her red brown hair was spread out over the pillows, skin glistening with a fine sweat from the sex, lips were swollen from kisses and slightly parted. The necklace he had given her when she first arrived was still around her neck and the thorny pendent was nestled between her breasts. Kurama must have been taking too long because Oriana bucked against him roughly and moaned into his ear to go faster. The fox was more then happy to comply.

Their moans filled the room and echoed off of the stone walls. All Oriana could feel was absolute bliss as the warmth pooled in her stomach once more. They both reached their peak at the same time as they cried out in ecstasy. Kurama's seed spilling into her womb. Oriana was still riding the wave of pleasure, when she felt an intense pain on the left side of her collar bone. She screamed as her lover bit deep into her skin and forced some of his spiritual energy into her.

Pulling away Kurama explained, "I know it hurts. I am sorry, but that is how demons mate. I should have warned you. The wound will heal by the morning and a mark will remain that shows that you are bound to me." He kissed her softly before he continued, "Before it closes I must give you my blood. The pain will be far worse, but I will remain by your side through it all. Are you ready?"

Oriana gave a shaky nod, "Yes, I'm ready. I love you, Youko and want to be by your side forever."

"I love you as well, my blossom," he responded with a chaste kiss.

Raising his hand, Kurama sliced open his palm with one of his claws. The crimson blood began to ooze immediately and the fox quickly pressed the wound against the one on his new wife's neck. At first Oriana felt nothing except his warm blood mixing with hers in the wound, but not long after she screamed out in pain. It felt like her blood was on fire and trying to burn her up from the inside. She squirmed and attempted to get away from Youko's hand but he held her firmly in place. She needed to absorb a lot of his blood and they were barely done. His kissed away her tears as he continued the blood transfusion. It nearly killed him to see her in so much pain. It was another fifteen agonizing minutes before he removed the hand and licked both wounds clean. Oriana had believed the pain would stop then, but it only continued and increased. Her body was changing down to the cellular level and she prayed that it would end soon. She never imagined it was possible to feel so much pain at once and live.

Wrapping his strong arms around the screaming woman, Youko held her close. He kissed her forehead and repeatedly smoothed her long hair on the back of her head. The fox could not help but fold his ears back against his head. Her cries were very painful to hear and it broke his heart that she was in pain because of him.

Kurama closed his eyes as he held her and felt each of the slow changes in her. The first he noticed was her scent. She still had her natural cherry blossom smell which now mixed with his rose one, but the scent she carried that said she was human was replaced by one that marked her as a fox demon. The next change happened a little while later. Her newly acquired demonic aura flared. To say the least, Youko was impressed by the amount and size of it and knew he would need to train her how to control it. Nearly an hour later, the fox winced in pain from Oriana digging her newly formed claws into his chest. He was most likely bleeding badly, but did nothing about it. He allowed her any outlet for her pain so long as it didn't kill him. The woman's fangs would have also grown in at this time and he hoped that she would not start biting him as well.

The pain was unbelievable. Oriana could feel each shift in her body and each one was agonizing. Different parts stretched and twisted, and at one point it felt like her heart stopped. Then just as she thought it would end, the worst pain of all tore through her body. It felt as if her spine was being ripped out from the bottom near her tail bone. Though her throat was dry and her voice was hoarse, the woman shrieked as if someone was killing her. She felt Youko tightened his arms around her in an attempted to consol her. Pulling her claws out of his chest, Oriana wrapped her arms around him and held tight like as if he was her life line. As the pain in her lower back continued her screams continued as well. Near the end though, the screams turned into an animalistic cry similar to the one Kurama made during his mating season while being dragged off by Kuronue and Yomi. Moments later it stopped, the pain was gone and there was only dull discomfort. Almost immediately, Oriana passed out.

Relaxing, the thief king pulled his new bride away slightly so that he could look at her. He was pleased to see that she was sleeping peacefully. Oriana looked mostly the same. Same beautiful face and same figure. For that he was glade. Youko rubbed the tip of one of her pointed ears which she responded by nuzzling his neck. There was movement on the other side of her that caught his eye. The sight made the fox smile as he watched her new tail twitch in her sleep.

Kurama grabbed a hold of the blankets and pulled them over top of their bodies. For the first time in his life he felt truly content. He had a beautiful, intelligent and kind wife that wanted to be with him for him. She had no ambitions for power or wealth. In face he recalled when he had to convince her to take the emerald earrings that she now wore everyday. He had only got her to take them because she was too tired to argue.

The king of thieves kissed his new wife's forehead, pulling her body tight against his. Sleep came to him soon and it was the most peaceful one he had in his long life.

* * *

Ah and there is the newest chapter and a very nice lemon if I do say so myself. I had gotten stuck right at the beginning of the lemon actually and 5just couldn't seem to think of a way to start it. But you can all thank my muse, my beloved boyfriend who is part of my inspiration for Youko's flirtatious and loving personality. Which of course doesn't exist in the anime before he became Shuichi or at least we the audience do not see it. Anyway, I'll get working on the next chapter. Til next time my readers.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

* * *

The sun was shining through the sheer curtains and onto the sleeping woman's face. Oriana slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see that she was still sleeping in bed so late. There was a weight around her waist and she knew it was Youko's arm. She could feel him curled around her body. Smiling, Oriana ran her hand down his arm and as she did, the woman noticed that her fingernails were completely white and were long and pointed. Excited she ran her tongue over her teeth and felt the two sharp canines. Something furry moved against her leg underneath the sheets. At first she thought it was Youko's tail, but when she want to stroke it to wake him up she felt the motion herself. Quickly throwing off the sheet, Oriana saw a brown and red tinted fox tail resting on her leg and began from her backside. Checking for one last thing she reached up to the top of her head to, only to be disappointed.

The newly made demoness heard Kurama chuckle behind her as he pulled her body close to his, "Good morning, my beautiful blossom. Is something the matter?"

"I didn't get the cute ears," she pouted.

The thief king let out a true large happy laugh. It was the first time Oriana had seen or heard him laugh like that. Normally he just chuckled softly or on occasionally a stronger laugh that only Oriana and Kuronue heard. Youko composed himself before telling his new wife, "You cannot have everything."

"Says the thief who wants to rule Demon World," Oriana countered smartly. Turning around in his arms, Oriana gave him a quick kiss, "Do I look different? I feel different."

Smiling Kurama told her, "Not completely. You still look like you have always looked only with small changes. You are still as beautiful as you always are."

"Who would have thought a ruthless demon could be so sweet and romantic?" the newly made vixen said to him with a grin.

Youko rolled over so she was lying beneath him and jokingly threatened, "Let us keep that information to ourselves. Otherwise, I will have to lock you in this room for the next century."

"You'd have to keep me company, otherwise I'd get bored very fast," she responded and gave him a quick kiss. Rubbing her head against his she asked, "Can I get up to take a bath please? I'm covered in…us."

"No, I am rather fond of this position," Youko answered with a sly smile.

Smiling herself, Oriana hooked her right leg around the thief king's left leg, pulled his left arm with her right and pushed on his right shoulder all at the same time. The motion rolled Kurama onto his back leaving Oriana on top, giving her new husband a victorious look.

However, Kurama had a quick wit and told her, "This position works well, also." He glided his hands up her hips and waist causing her to shiver.

Oriana blushed slightly when she felt his member pressing into her stomach. Schooling her features, the vixen gave him a warning growl and informed him, "I'm going to take a bath, you pervert. I feel gross."

Youko smirked, "You have gotten a little more daring lately." Oriana blushed in realization and seemed to shrink back a little. "How about we compromise then?" In a moment he was on his feet with her in his arms. The demoness squeaked and wrapped her arms around his neck.

An hour later they both reemerged from the bathroom, both clean and satisfied. While in the bath room, Oriana noticed something that resembled a tattoo in the same place that Kurama had bitten her the night before. It was not very big and resembled a sitting silver nine-tailed fox with a red rose in its mouth. Her husband explained that this was his mating mark. It would show demons that she was off limits and just who her mate was. Though the woman was not very fond of tattoos she did not mind this mark in the least. It was cute and every time Youko would kiss it, it would send shivers through her.

"Come now, we have wasted enough of the day. You already have no time to train with Kuronue today," the fox thief informed as he dressed himself.

Oriana put on her strapless floor length dress and was pleased to find that someone had already cut a hole for her tail in the back of it. Once she was dressed, they went downstairs to get some food. The newly made demoness was starving. Her body had used up so much energy in the transformation it felt like she had not eaten in days. Not to mention, how much she must have used during their romp around the bed and bathtub.

When they arrived in the dinning room, their food was waiting for them as well as a very smug looking bat demon.

"Congratulations," Kuronue told them with a smirk.

Oriana sat down beside him, cheeks slightly pink, "Thanks, Kuro."

The bat demon looked up to his best friend as he took his own seat, "I wish you would have thought to sound proof the walls though."

Youko chuckled from the head of the table, but his wife's face burned scarlet. Kuronue laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"It's still embarrassing," Oriana pouted as she began to dig into her breakfast.

"So, Youko, are you still up for our heist tonight?" the bat demon inquired, "I'd understand if you want to wait."

Kurama glanced at his bride, silently asking her opinion. She smiled and told him, "You said yourself that tonight was your best opportunity. I don't mind waiting for you to come home."

The fox thief took Oriana's left hand and lifted it to his lips, giving the knuckles a soft kiss, "You are far too understanding, my blossom. I promise to make it up to you."

"I'll make sure to stay up late tonight then," Oriana replied with a smirk.

Youko held back a possessive growl. He was not sure he would be able to control himself if she kept up acting like the vixen she now was. This was certainly a pleasant side effect, even if it was a bit distracting.

The two partners in crime left an hour after breakfast. Oriana was given instructions to not go outside without her husband. She would possess powers similar to his and they could be hard to control for the new demoness. This way she would not hurt herself. The vixen was fine with this and would instead spend her time in the library researching her new race.

During her little research project, Oriana discovered a few new things she had not known about the fox demon race originally. First and most embarrassing for the rather shy woman was that female fox demons are naturally flirtatious and bold around a male partner. This was nearly a complete reversal in her usual reserved self. It would just be something to get used to. At least it would only be with Youko, and most likely she would be able to control it.

Secondly, she discovered an ability she never saw her husband use, the ability to transform. The only transformation the thief king ever used was to turn into his spirit fox form. Which she saw only once when he was very frustrated and sought relaxation curled up in Oriana's lap. Of course the vixen had heard of this in old folktales she read as a child, but was unsure if it was true until now.

Rather excited about her discovery, Oriana read a detailed description of how the art was performed and hurried to her room. Standing in front of a full length mirror, she concentrated hard on the image of her beloved Youko. Her plan was to hopefully startle him when he returned home. Bringing her index and middle finger to her forehead, she summoned the energy she could feel flowing through her veins. The book had said that beginners often found it easier to say the name of the technique as a way of telling them when to release the energy.

After a long moment of concentration of a clothed Kurama, Oriana said, "Fox magic, transform." A puff of smoke seemingly from no where covered the demoness' body from sight. It cleared soon after and Oriana checked the mirror to see how she did. She laughed at what she saw and knew that practice was needed. The vixen had managed to mostly appear like her husband. However, he was looking rather short as her height had not changed. But the part she found hilarious was the fact that her breasts had remained as well as her dress. Her concentration broken, the smoke returned and Oriana was herself once again.

Ceasing her laughter, the woman tried again. This time trying to turn into Kuronue. At this point it did not matter if she got it right and could mess with her mate, she was having a lot of fun with her new ability. Her Kuronue copy turned out nearly as bad as her Youko impersonation. The torso was right this time at least, but from the waist down her dress remained. The wings were far too small, only a foot in height and she still could not seem to get the height right.

Deciding to try something more simple. Oriana choose to transform into her old human self. This one proved successful. Oriana once again stood before the mirror tailless with no demon features at all. Her success lasted only a couple of moments though. The experimentation left her feeling a bit drained, so she laid down on the bed and took a short nap.

When Oriana woke up, it was nearly dinner time. Youko and Kuronue were still far off. She was not sure how but the vixen could sense her new mate's presence far off in the distance. Almost like an invisible thread in the back of her mind.

Having not eaten lunch, the demoness made her way downstairs to the kitchen. When she entered, Oriana could see that dinner was already being prepared. Pots were heating up on the stove and half chopped vegetables and meat sat on the counter. Like always there was not a cook in sight. She always felt bad when she walked in on them while they were cooking. It must have been aggravating to have to abandon their work whenever someone entered the room just so they could not be seen.

Getting an idea to both entertain herself and possibly get something to fill her stomach, Oriana called out, "Excuse me, could I talk to someone! Please!"

Seconds ticked by in silence as no one appeared. The vixen grew nervous that no one would come so she added, "I was hoping someone could teach me how to cook food from Demon World!"

This time a wind picked up and a male demon appeared in front of her. Oriana was startled by the sudden appearance but recovered quickly. The demon was a few inches taller than her with black hair and blue eyes. He had a soft face and was dressed in a brown shirt and pants with a white apron.

"Mistress Oriana, you wish to cook?" the demon questioned confused.

Smiling she replied, "If you don't mind. I used to cook for myself back in Human World all the time. I'm curious how my meals in this world are made. And you don't have to call me mistress. It makes me feel awkward."

The demon chief smiled after a moment before saying, "If you are a willing student, I am a willing teacher. My name is Ryu by the way and I think you should change your clothes first, Oriana."

Looking down at herself, she knew he was right. Excusing herself, Oriana went upstairs and quickly changed into her training gear. When the woman returned there were three more cooks in the kitchen other than Ryu. The others seemed a little nervous about their master's wife in there with them, but Ryu assured them that everything would be fine.

Oriana cooked alongside the head chief the entire time. Cooking did not seem much different. There were equivalents to just about everything from the Human Realm. The woman nibbled on things here and there to satisfy her hunger as she worked. It took hours to prepare the meal for just the three of them. The vixen could not imagine how hard it must have been for them when there were a hundred and one more. There were more than likely more cooks, but the time and work put into that was unbelievable. When everything was just about finished, Oriana could sense her mate's presence outside the forest. After thanking Ryu for the lesson and receiving an invitation for more, she hurried upstairs to clean up and change back into her dress from earlier.

It was getting dark outside when Oriana stepped out to meet the two thieves leaning against the door with her hands folded behind her. The sky was dark purple and the first stars could be seen between the clouds. Kurama and Kuronue approached the door with victorious grins and two large bags of loot. Both were surprised to see the vixen outside to meet them.

"Oriana, how long have you been outside?" Youko questioned holding her cheek in his free hand.

"Not long, only about three minutes. I felt you nearby and figured I'd come down and meet you," Oriana answered, nuzzling his hand.

The thief king smiled, "I see you are learning how our connection operates. However, there are still things I need to explain to you." He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. With a smile that reached his eyes he told her, "I brought you back something."

"I wish you wouldn't," the demoness told him in a tired tone.

"This I felt that I had to. I promise this will be the last one if you want," Kurama responded with his trademark smirk.

"I'll hold you to that, beloved," Oriana said adding a pet name to the end just to see how he would react.

Youko smiled at the name and kissed her sweetly. In the background their bat friend was rolling his eyes. "Let us head inside. I will have to sift through this bag just to find your gift."

Inside, the fox thief set his bag onto the long table and began pulling his spoils from it. It took a little while but he finally got to what he was looking for. From the bag Kurama pulled out a silver half circlet. The band was only a centimeter thick and formed a half circle. At each end the metal was shaped into small swirls. The front of the headpiece made a shallow 'V' shape and in the center of the 'V' was a teardrop cut emerald half an inch big.

Youko carefully slid the jewelry into place on his wife's forehead so it sat in the center. Once in place, he lifted her chin and told her, "It only seemed fitting to get you this. It looks perfect on you."

Having just returned from putting away his treasure, Kuronue managed to see the jewelry being given. "All hail the Queen of Thieves!" the bat yelled with a grin.

Oriana turned red as she told him, "I hardly deserve that title."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders the bat demon explained, "Well you are married to the King of Thieves and let's be honest, Ora, you're almost as good as us. You just don't ever wanna try."

"I value my life," she countered seriously then smiled and gave Kurama a kiss, "Thank you it's beautiful."

"You are welcome, my blossom. I will be back in a minute. I just need to bring my collection from today upstairs," the fox told her. He swept up the gold and silver back into his bag and made his way upstairs to his vault.

Kuronue flopped down in his chair and stretched, "Has Youko told you about us moving soon?"

Sitting down next to him the vixen responded, "No, why are we moving?"

"Ha, so he did tell me first," Kuronue said to himself before answering, "Well Youko's afraid that not all our missing members are dead. We can't risk staying here if they possibly tell a bounty hunter or worse one of the two kings."

"Where would we go?"

"Our old hideout before this one is still secure last we checked. It is East of here not far from the border between Mukuro's and Raizen's land, deep inside a forest much like this one. Youko let his plants run wild so that no one could find or even get to it."

"How would we move everything?"

"Rent a horse and cart. Take most likely seven or eight trips. That's mostly for our loot though and that big old dish of yours."

"We could leave it and buy a new one."

"Ha. We were lucky to find you that one."

"So how long before all this happens?"

"Month. Possibly longer. Youko wants to teach you how to control your new abilities before we go. That way you can take care of yourself incase anything happens, or lose control and nearly kill someone while we're traveling through the forests. You don't sound to happy about this."

"I guess I grew fond of this place."

"Well don't you think this castle is a tad big for only the three of us?"

"Yes. So Youko doesn't plan on gathering more thieves together?"

"Not for at least another couple decades." "I don't blame him. How big is your old hideout?"

Kuronue gave a short laugh as he leaned back and thought of the old place. "Not very big. Especially if you compare it to here. Has two floors and a big basement for the vaults. Two bedrooms on the top floor and kitchen, study, and couple of spare rooms on the first."

Youko quietly sat down in his chair and interrupted, "I apologize for not informing you earlier, my blossom. I had all intentions of telling you tonight."

The bat and vixen turned around slightly startled to face him. Apparently during their discussion the servants had placed dinner on the table. The three of them continued their discussion about moving over dinner, which Oriana happily told them she helped prepare. Youko was pleased to hear that his mate had taken it upon herself to learn to cook food from Demon World. Kuronue and him were not the best of cooks. Their food came out edible at best. The thief king also told her that her training to learn how to control her powers would begin tomorrow.

After dinner Kurama and Oriana went up to their room to discuss why the woman could feel her husband's consciousness. The fox lead his wife out onto the balcony. The night was warm and the moon was high in the sky. They sat down on the stone bench carved into the railing to the right.

Wrapping an arm around Oriana, the thief king began his explanation. "I had not told you about this at first simply because I did not believe you would sense our connection since we had bonded when you were still human. So please forgive my thoughtlessness."

"Forgiven," she responded simply and kissed his cheek before snuggling into his chest.

"I do not deserve you," he told her softly before continuing, "When two demons mate as we did, thief souls become entwined. We shall be able to sense when one another is near, any strong feelings, and any pain the other feels. This is so one can know when their mate is in danger. If either of us concentrates hard enough we should be able to communicate telepathically as well."

Closing her eyes, the vixen felt for her connection with Youko and thought loudly, '_Like this?_'

Kurama chuckled and responded the same way, '_Exactly._' This time using his mouth, "You certainly are a fast learner. I am curious to see how you will fair in our training sessions."

"I thought myself something today," Oriana confessed.

"Oh? What exactly have you learned, my blossom?"

"I did a little research on fox demons today out of curiosity and saw that they could disguise themselves like in the folktales so I gave it a try. I'm not very good though. The best I could do was make myself look human again for a short time."

"The art of transformation does take a lot of practice. I am impressed however."

"Why don't you even use it?"

"The technique is used for more defensive purposes and I was more interested in the ones for offensive."

"Could I learn both or do I have to stick with only one?"

"To be honest, my blossom, I would prefer if you did learn both. I feel you would be much safer this way. I however, am not qualified to teach the art of transformation. You'll have to teach yourself."

"That's fine. I understand the how I just need to practice."

"Good. Our training will begin tomorrow morning instead of Kuronue's," Kurama told her, nuzzling her neck affectionately. He nipped the skin of her neck and questioned in deep seductive voice, "Care for a little endurance training?"

Smirking, Oriana replied, "Only if you catch me first."

Instantly the vixen was on her feet and inside the room. Youko was right on her heels. Catching up to her with ease, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto the bed with him. Oriana giggled the whole way until her laughter was silenced by her husband's lips and hands. In a moment those giggles became moans.

* * *

Sorry for the reeeealllly late update for a not very long chapter. I did start on the next chapter so hopefully that will help toward the next update. Thank you all for the reviews and favorites. I love seeing those in my inbox. I noticed in some of your reviews that you may not have noticed my remark early on where I said this story would lead into the cannon. So everything I do in this part of the story is a set up for something that happens later in Tagashi-sama's work that I will be altering to fit in Oriana. If you have not seen after the Dark Tournament than I highly suggest you watch those episodes. You learn a lot more about Kurama, Hiei and of course Yusuke. Plus that's where you actually meet Yomi. Thanks for reading. ^_^ Til next time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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Kurama wanted to begin Oriana's training with something not too complicated like most of his weapons. His task for her first day was to eventually form her favorite weapon out of the flower of her choice. The vixen had chosen a rose with the explanation that it would be beneficial if both of them carried the same plant for their weapons in case of emergency. Controlling plant life was complicated, Oriana was discovering. Using her newly acquired demon energy she had to change the molecular structure of the flower itself. Nearly half a day had gone by the time she managed to lengthen and thicken the stem enough to create the pole part of her halberd.

"You make it look so easy," Oriana complained as once again the thief king showed her slowly how the flower should change.

Chuckling he replied, "I've had centuries of practice. It will come in time."

Eyeing her half completed weapon, Oriana sighed. With some effort she could now create the staff portion. However, on top of the staff the white rose still looked like an ordinary flower, mocking her.

"Now concentrate on the petals. In your mind see them bind together and form the blade," Youko instructed.

Doing as she was told, the woman focused on the flower at the top of the staff. In her mind she saw it morph into a blade similar to the one she had grown used to. However, the petals barely moved before the vixen began to feel dizzy. Without warning Oriana fell over, Kurama quickly catching her.

"I've over worked you, my blossom. You should rest," shifting her in his arms, Youko carried his wife into his private garden and sat beneath the large tree. Oriana was settled into his lap, his arms hugging her frame.

"I should have known I could not have you use your new powers for so long at this moment in time. Relativity speaking, you are equivalent to a young kit."

Smiling as she laid against his chest the vixen told him, "Compared to you, I am. You're robbing the cradle with me." His laughter shook his broad chest and made her smile grow.

They relaxed there for awhile until Youko was sure that his wife had regained most of her strength. He noticed after awhile Oriana's hand hovering over the grass beside them. She was making a couple blades of grass grow and shrink, and on occasion turn and twist them into abstract shapes before returning them to normal. Even while resting she was practicing, trying to make Kurama proud.

A large clawed hand enclosed over Oriana's hovering one, stopping her little game. Youko brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Are you prepared to continue?"

She nodded an affirmative, "I'll get it this time."

By the time the sun had set, Oriana triumphantly held a completed halberd in her hand. Kurama was honestly impressed with his little vixen. Even though she had only just become a demon, Oriana had incredible control over her demon energy. That combined with her being a fast learner, they would be ready to move within a few weeks.

The next morning the king of thieves noticed a new bracelet around his wife's wrist. Upon closer inspection he realized it was a real rose. The band was the thornless stem and the center was the rose bloom that appeared to be made out of white metal with two leaves on either side of it. Youko had felt her energy when he was bathing, now he understood why. He was pleased to see she had found a convenient way of hiding her weapon. She would comment on his own weapon, saying that he summoned it in a very over dramatic manner. Clearly she looked for something more subtle.

Her second day of training with Kurama was to make sure she could summon her halberd easily. It took a little while, but by noon time Oriana could create her weapon with ease. Even getting it to reform back into the bracelet.

Two weeks later Oriana and Kuronue stood ten feet apart, Youko off to the side between them. The bat and vixen had not sparred since she had become a demon. The crowned queen of thieves would be testing her new skills against her old master. Kurama had taught Oriana so much, and she absorbed it all. Kuronue was actually a little nervous as he had never watched them train and only heard of her progress from his best friends. Not to mention that he knew very well what Kurama was capable of.

The bat demon stood waiting with a scythe in each hand. He was waiting for her to make the first move to see what she would do. Kuronue knew about her halberd being the rose bracelet on her right wrist, but she had started wearing a silver hollowed out ring bracelet on her left wrist. The experienced thief knew there had to be more to it than just a choice in jewelry. She never wore anything that Youko had not given her, and he knew he had not given her that bracelet.

Oriana reached a clawed hand into her hair, confusing her opponent. He was sure the vixen would heave summoned her halberd. Quickly she threw something small at the bat demon. Kuronue did not see it until it hit his chest. It was a small seed. He mentally laughed as it bounced off his vest. If the vixen had attempted to use Youko's Seed of the Death Plant she had failed. He was shocked however as vines suddenly sprouted from the seed and bound his arms and wings.

'Alright, so she gets some extra points for creativity,' the bat thought as he struggled.

During his struggles he watched as the bracelet around Oriana's right wrist uncoiled and stretched in her hand into her chosen weapon. In the blink of an eye she was running at the bat demon. Kuronue managed to snap the vines and dodge backwards in time to avoid the white blade. Oriana thinking quickly jumped away before her opponent could counter with his scythe. The blade narrowly missed her abdomen before she landed a few feet away. The bat threw one of his scythes at her immediately, holding onto the chain to pull it back when needed. Surprising him again, the vixen held out her left hand and fro her newest bracelet vines grew out and snatched the scythe right out of the air. With a swing of her arm, Oriana threw the weapon across the courtyard behind her. The vines then quickly retracted into the silver ring once more. At the same time Kuronue used his other scythe to pull her weapon from her hand.

Not giving her time to grow the vines again, Kuronue threw his second scythe again at her once the halberd was flung across the yard. The vixen dived out of the way landing awkward a few feet away. She landed so she was crouched on the balls of her feet and her hands on the ground. The bat demon made a mental note not to go near there incase she just sowed a seed. Oriana stood once more, a blade of grass in each hand. The grass soon grew long one end becoming vine like and wrapping around her forearms. The other end stretched then curved into exact copies of the bat's favorite weapon. A cloud of smoke surrounded the woman then quickly disappeared, leaving Kuronue looking at himself.

The real Kuronue arched an eyebrow before shaking his head with a small smile plastered on his face. "Why did I bother to teach you how to use my scythes?" he questioned.

In the bat's deep voice Oriana replied, "To give more options incase a ranged weapon is needed."

"Alright, enough joking around," the bat demon declared and threw out his last scythe wrapping it around one of Oriana's grass ones pulling it from her hand.

Kurama watched amused as they turned to martial arts with the assistance of each of their remaining scythes. They jumped about punching, kicking, and swiping at each other with little success. Kuronue eventually got the idea of flying up high away from his doppelganger. After all the wings Oriana had currently were only an illusion. Once he was high enough, he would strike her with his chain scythe. The bat had hoped flying would disorient her but he was wrong. As soon as he was gliding through the air the grass grew to enormous heights around him, enclosing him in a dome. The dome then began to shrink, pushing him down toward the ground. He felt as if he was caught in a grass tidal wave.

As Kuronue was being pulled toward the ground he noticed he was over the spot where his opponent had retrieved her blades of grass and possibly sowed a seed. His suspicions were confirmed much to his distain. A large green plant sprouted and grew to enormous heights. It had large oval heads and long thin stems. When he got closer the heads split in two showing a bright red mouth and very large pointy teeth.

"I'd like you to meet Aphrodite," Oriana chimed still in Kuronue's form and using his voice.

The bat not wanting to be the plant's next meal, dove toward his copy in hopes of at least knocking her off her feet. Then possibly he would be able to pin her and take the win. However, Oriana had become quite fast as a fox demon. As he drew near, the vixen jumped into the air and using Kuronue's long legs, kicked the bat out of the sky and toward the carnivorous plant. The venus fly trap's large jaws engulfed the bat's body and its huge fangs were like bars to a cell. The plant made no further move to eat him, but Kuronue knew he had lost.

"You made Youko's style your own and used my own moves against me," Kuronue commented from between the plant's teeth, "Are you sure you don't want to join us on heists?"

Oriana rolled her eyes before releasing her fox magic. "This is only to protect myself. You guys want to rule Makai not me," the vixen answered.

With a flick of her wrist all of the greenery returned to normal and the bat demon was gently set on his feet. She walked over to where Kuronue stood and picked up her venus fly trap seed from the earth before stowing it in her hair. Oriana then looked the bat demon over.

"What are you looking for?" Kuronue asked holding in a comment that would most likely upset his best friend.

"The acid didn't get you, did it?" the fox demoness questioned concerned.

"No," he answered, then paused before adding, "What acid?"

"Oh good I was afraid I would mess that part up. See venus fly traps secrete acid to digest their insect food source, and a strong one to get through the exoskeleton. My larger version could easily digest any organics in little to no time at all," Oriana explained then added thoughtfully, "Actually it might be able to melt inorganics too. I haven't tried yet, but in theory it sounds possible."

Startled by her explanation, Kuronue looked to his long time friend, "What have you been teaching her?"

Youko chuckled, "Everything I know. Oriana simply chose what to do with the information. Do not worry, had she forgotten to stunt the acid production, I would have done so for her."

"I feel so much better," the bat demon said sarcastically then changed the subject, "So I guess we're gonna start packing soon then."

Kurama nodded his head in affirmative, "Yes, I believe Oriana can now safely travel the forests without losing control of her powers. I will go and rent a horse and cart in the morning. We can have the servants begin packing. Once that is finished we'll pay them for their services using the coin from the vaults of our traitors."

The next morning Youko returned with a large wooden car and large black horse pulling it. The horse had red eyes and Oriana knew that this animal was diffidently from the Demon World. It reminded her of the horse from Sleepy Hallow. The servants had brought everything they were moving inside the entrance, and packed boxes with the bedding, clothes, and some foods and wine onto the cart. After they had finished, the servants lined up outside in front of the door. The vixen was surprised to see that there were only ten servants taking care of this whole castle. Kurama went down the line and handed each of them a heavy pouch of gold coins for their services and silence. As he did this, Oriana thanked each of them. To say the least, all of the servants but Ryu were surprised by this.

After all of the servants had gone on their own ways, the three remaining demons dawned their hooded cloaks. Youko helped his wife up onto the seat at the front of the cart, secretly enjoying a quick feel of her backside, before jumping up to sit beside her. Kuronue joined them sitting on the other side. Oriana looked up at the castle and over at the hidden garden which would be forced to be overgrown once they were finished moving everything. This would be the last time she saw any of this. The men were going to continue to bring everything to the old/new hideout while Oriana remained there starting to get everything in place. Youko wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him and saw a reassuring smile from his shadowed face. As the vixen returned the smile, the fox snapped the reins and the three of them were off to their new home.

They traveled for quite a few hours toward the West across Raizen's desert. To avoid drawing attention to themselves they had to move at a relatively slow pace. Every once in awhile one of them would walk along side of the cart just to stretch their legs. Eventually they reached a new forest that was somewhat thick with vines and branches. So the cart could pass, Youko and Oriana used their abilities to make a path that quickly disappeared behind them.

Deep in the woods the trio came up to a very overgrown wooden and stone cottage and yard. With his hands held out in front of him, Kurama used his powers to clear away the vegetation to more appropriate levels. Now the yard was clear and open, only covered in grass. Beside the house Oriana could make out a garden that still looked a tad overgrown. The house itself was still partially covered in ivy. It was two stories high with a wooden roof and stone walls. The cottage reminded the demoness of Snow White's cottage in the Disney movies.

Together, the three of them unloaded the cart and carried the crates and bags inside. Once everything was carried inside and stacked up in the decent sized and rather dusty kitchen, Kurama turned to his mate. "Kuronue and I are going to go and gather another load. Will you be alright on your own until late tonight?" he asked, hands on her hips and his forehead against hers.

Smiling up at him Oriana replied, "I'll be fine. Besides I have a lot of work ahead of me to make this place livable."

"I'm sorry that all of this work has fallen onto you, my blossom," he apologized.

"I don't mind. Honestly, as nice as it was to have servants take care of me, I like doing the work myself. This place doesn't seem like too much work. I may have it cleaned up by the time you both return. Though not everything will be put away," the vixen explained.

"Do what you can," he gave her a soft kiss, "Kuronue and I will be back just before sunset."

"Alright be careful," Oriana told him giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Bidding each other good-bye, the partners in crime set off back to their castle hideout for another load of their belongings. Once they left the fox demoness set her goals to cleaning the old hideout. First though, she would have to find the bag with her cloths in it. There was no way she was going to clean in one of the dresses that Youko had given her. She sighed as she climbed over crates to find the bag. There was a lot of work to be done. Now if only this Snow White's cottage had the helpful animals too.

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Sorry everyone I know this is the shortest chapter I have written yet, but I want to create a time jump and I prefer this one to be the start of the next chapter. After all I don't want to really write about all the boring stuff. Which brings me to my hint for the next chapter. My loyal readers, the next driving point from the cannon will be in the next chapter. Depending on how long I make the chapter there may be two driving points. I'll do my best to write this next chapter but it will be hard for me. I cry just thinking about the next chapter's events. Well anyway, thank you all for reading and your reviews. Until the next time which should be in a month or so.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sorry for the wait. I also want to thank all of you that reviewed. There were a lot of great ones and they always managed to brightened my day. Anyway please enjoy. Also a brief reminder this story is rated M. ^_-

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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"I thought we could try a heist with just traditional traps and guards," Kuronue explained then added, "Plus the reward is the Golden Mirror of Ameterasu."

On the low table that all three demons sat around was a large map of a temple. On the map were markings showing trap locations as well as guard posts. Beside it was an ink painting of the sun goddess Ameterasu holding a rectangular mirror with a golden frame.

"A possession of a goddess would indeed be something to strive for. Where is the temple located?" Youko questioned interested in his best friend's find.

"Two hours Northwest into Mukuro's territory," the bat replied.

Kurama smiled, pleased with the information, "Not too far and yet far enough for us to escape. This is looking promising."

From her seat beside her husband, Oriana inquired, "Kuro, how old is this map?" She eyed the yellowing stiff paper.

"The map is old but the information is checked and updated every month by my contact," Kuronue answered confidently.

"Ok just making sure," the vixen told him before leaning back onto her husband's shoulder.

"We'll leave tomorrow at noon and return by sunset," the king of thieves announced.

Kuronue stood and stretched his arms over his head. "I'll see you in the morning. And keep it down tonight, will ya?" he remarked before leaving for his room.

In the blink of an eye, the fox demon stood with his wife in his arms. "Let us not forget to soundproof the room again tonight," he chuckled with a sexy smirk, nuzzling her neck.

Tilting her head up, Oriana flicked the tip of his ear with her tongue and with voice dripping with lust told him, "It was your turn last time."

Youko involuntarily shuttered in pleasure. Letting out a soft growl, he hurried up the steps and into their bedroom. Right after the door shut, the demoness grew thick leafy vines over the door and walls. As soon as she felt the pillows and sheets beneath her, her jewelry was removed by skillful hands. Oriana's own tactful hands removed her husband's sash and were working on removing his pants. In another blink of an eye, their cloths were off and across the room.

Oriana ran her hands through his silver hair as he kissed down her neck. His kisses moved lower, gliding down her chest and between her breast which he delightfully squeezed. Kurama continued over her stomach and finally he hovered over he lower lips. With a smirk befitting his race up at his beloved wife, he flicked his tongue out and licked the small ball of nerves between the folds. The vixen moaned and bucked her hips towards him involuntarily.

Sliding his arms under her legs, he placed her legs over his shoulders and lifted her hips back. Now his mouth was positioned right where he wanted it and his hands could grab at those soft mounds of flesh. Oriana moaned and whined as she felt his breath across her sensitive skin. She hated but loved his teasing. The thought only crossed her mind for a moment, before her mind was completely overcome by pleasure as her husband licked and sucked on the little nub.

"Youko," the vixen moaned breathless. She was trying hard not to tear the sheets with her claws as she gripped them.

Without warning the fox changed tactics and drove his talented tongue into her vagina. He greedily lapped up the juices causing the demoness to give gasping moans. Oriana could already feel the pressure build up within her stomach. Just one thing more and she would go over the edge. That's when she felt Kurama's thumb on the little bundle of nerves, moving quickly in time with his tongue. That was it. Oriana cried out in pleasure as the pressure released in one orgasmic wave.

The fox thief licked up all of her juices causing her to moan and squirm beneath him. He kissed her inner thigh and set her legs back down on either side of him on the bed. Kurama climbed back over top of her, just hovering over her body as he kissed her passionately. He planned on doing much more to her, but she had other ideas.

Wanting to torture him as he always did her, Oriana hooked one of her legs behind his and flipped him over so she was on top. Her tail flicked back and forth happily at her victory as she straddled his waist. She left a trail of kisses up his well toned chest. When she reached his neck she nipped and sucked on it. Reaching underneath her she gripped his member with one hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Youko grunted at the sudden act and moaned deeply as she began to stroke it.

Oriana removed her hand too soon for the king of thieves. Before he could do anything, she positioned herself above his throbbing member and slowly inserted it with in her until he was completely inside. The vixen could not help but moan as she took control and raised and lowered herself on him painstakingly slow.

It had become too much for Kurama to take. The animal in him wanted release. Growling, the fox demon flipped his wife back over, who giggled at the action. He kissed her full on the mouth. A kiss filled with so much passion. He began pumping into her quickly. She moaned against his lips in response. Youko released her lips which were now swelling.

Oriana built up to another climax quickly. She was on the edge crying out his name in ecstasy when he hit something inside her just right and she orgasmed once more, constricting his member. Youko moaned her name as he spilt his hot seed inside her. He pulled out and collapsed beside her, pulling her body against his.

Nuzzling her hair he told her, "I love you."

"I love you too, Youko," the vixen responded, "I couldn't imagine my life without you. Don't ever leave me."

"Never," Kurama promised pulling his wife tighter.

The next day Oriana had gone into town to get food for the next few days. Youko had only shown her the way once three months ago when they moved in and could now find her way easily. The closest town was actually the same one that Sam's tavern was in and occasionally the demoness would drop in the say hi.

Her cloak billowed around her as she traversed the familiar forest, bag filled with food over her shoulder. Both males had left for their target hours ago and would be back in about two hours. Oriana planned on bringing in the laundry first before she started dinner. It would be ready after they got back so they would just have to wait.

As she broke through the tree line, the demoness smiled as she took in the sight of her home in Human World, with its little garden and how it was secluded, surrounded by many trees. The memory did not cause her any grief as she was truly happy here. With a happy sigh she entered the house and hung up her cloak and set the bag on the kitchen counter. Oriana then picked up the large basket from the corner of the room and went back outside.

It was awhile later when Oriana sat at the kitchen table. There were several piles of folded clean laundry in front of her. The vixen was just finishing folding the last piece of clothing, Youko's pants, when the door opened.

Oriana smiled at the sight of her husband, and greeted him, "Welcome home, beloved." The grim look on his face made her face fall however.

"Youko, what's wrong?" she inquired, standing and stepping closer to him. Glancing behind him brought another question to her lips, "Where's Kuronue?"

For the first time since he entered, Kurama brought his eyes up to meet hers. His answer was a soft whisper, "He told me to run. I wanted to save him, but he told me that I had to get back to you. That I would die if I had stayed. I could not bare to leave you."

Youko tossed the mirror onto the table, not really caring if it shattered or not. It was not worth even close to what he had just lost. Oriana clung to his torso as he wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled the top of her head as she cried into his chest. The king of thieves had to will himself not to cry too.

A few sorrowful minutes later, Kurama whispered, "I'm sorry."

Shaking her head yet still not looking up, Oriana spoke, "No. You don't need to be sorry. It's not your fault. I'm glad he sent you back home." "But," the vixen continued after a pause, "I want to collect his body. Give him a proper burial."

Kurama looked at his wife hard. He did not want to lose her too. However, he saw such sadness and determination in those emerald eyes that his resolve almost instantly broke. The fox held her face between his hands, wiping away they falling tears with his thumbs.

"We will be cautious and wait two hours. We must make sure that when we arrive the guards are no longer on high alert and have returned to their original posts," he explained to her gently.

She nodded her head before she buried her face back into his chest, tightening her arms once more. The vixen held onto him as if he were her lifeline. So afraid that if she were to let go he may leave her too. Youko was all that Oriana had left in both Human and Demon World. She just could not lose him too.

They waited in silence as time slowly ticked away. Kurama sitting in a chair at the table with Oriana in his lap. They held each other, trying to comfort each other the best they could. Sharing in the loss of their closest and dearest friend. Sometimes the demoness would glance up at the door, hoping that Kuronue would simply walk in battered and bruised with a cocky smirk on his face. But the door never opened, and Oriana knew deep down that he was truly gone.

Once two hours had passed and Kurama had declared it safe, the couple left for the old temple's grounds. Neither of them had bothered to grab their cloaks, having no care if the guards knew who was trespassing. They ran the whole time, arriving at the grounds around midnight. Luckily for them, there were no guards outside the temple. Probably deciding that it was safe once more.

Sniffing about, the two of them searched for the place where Kuronue had been caught in the trap. Catching the strong scent of blood, they hurried over to its source. When they arrived in the clearing of a bamboo thicket, there was a large pool of Kuronue's blood in the center. A few bamboo poles stuck into the ground. Several others were thrown about and covered in blood. Looking around franticly, Oriana tried to spot Kuronue's body, but there was no sign of the ebony haired bat demon. The guards must have taken his body inside or to the nearest Spirit World authority to collect the bounty. They had known who he had been.

The vixen bit back a sob as she fruitlessly continued to search for any sign of him. That is when she noticed it. At first she had thought it was merely the shadow of the bamboo, but now she was sure it held a more familiar shape. Stepping around the blood, Oriana approached the dark object and lifted it into her hands. Now certain of what it was, she held it out for her husband to see. In her hand was Kuronue's old tattered black hat. Youko took the worn piece of cloth from her as she lit a lamp weed in hopes of finding more. Not really caring if the light could give them away. Something sparkled on the ground a few feet in the direction of the temple.

Oriana made her way over to the glittering object and knelt down to pick it up. Kuronue's pendent rested in her head. The chain slipped off between her fingers, one of the links was broken. The blood red stone in the center shone in the light that the lamp weed provided. She felt a hand on her shoulder as her husband knelt down beside her.

"It broke off while we were running. Kuronue went back to retrieve it when he was caught in the trap. He should have just left it," the thief king murmured softly.

"How could he not?" Oriana whispered back, "It was Mai's."

Both of them had been each told the story about Mai once Kuronue was willing to open up. Mai had been Kuronue's little sister by blood. He had loved her dearly, his smiling little princess. She had died at the age of fifty. Which was very young, barely a teenager by demon standards. After Mai had died, Kuronue always wore her necklace in remembrance of her. It was no surprise that he had gone back when the chain had broken.

Holding the pendent tightly in her hand, Oriana stood and told her husband, "As much as I hate to admit it. I think this is all we are going to find."

Kurama wrapped the arm not carrying the hat around her waist and held her close as they made their way back home. The vixen extinguished the lamp weed, allowing their animal-like eyes to readjust to the dark.

When they arrived back home, they dug a hole a few feet from the garden and placed Kuronue's hat inside. Once it was buried they laid a flat rock on top. Youko meticulously carved with a chisel he made out of a branch an inscription. It read, 'Here lies Kuronue of the Northern Bat Demon Tribe. A true friend and brother. Never to be forgotten.' Oriana gave Kurama's hand a squeeze. He looked up at her and she gave him a small smile of appreciation. They both said silent goodbyes and went inside.

Dinner was completely forgotten. Not that either of them was in the mood to eat anything. Instead the two fox demons went upstairs to their room. Kurama sat on their bed as his wife fiddled with something at their dresser. When she turned back around he saw that she had strung Kuronue's pendent onto one of the white ribbons she sometimes used for her hair and tied it around her neck like a choker.

Youko gave her a sad smile approving of her new piece of jewelry. He had not even noticed that she still had the pendent until just then. Having believed she had buried it too. The fox opened his arms to her and she settled in his lap, hiding her face in his neck. Wrapping Oriana tightly in his arms, he fell back onto the bed and laid there with her body pressed against his. That was how they fell asleep that night. Though Oriana had fallen asleep long before Youko. His mind was focused on the fact that he had lost his best friend and had nearly died himself, leaving Oriana alone.

For the next couple of days neither of them went out. They stayed home playing chess and taking comfort in each other's company. On the second day, Oriana had asked Kurama about Kuronue's contacts. Wondering if his were the same as the fox's. It turned out that Kuronue's contacts were different (a great relief for the vixen that it was not Sam who was the traitor) and even gave his name, Ura. Only the bat demon knew how to find him though. However, Oriana secretly planned on finding him herself.

She waited until Kurama went out one day to see Sam. Once she could feel him at the edge of the forest, the vixen put on her cloak and left as well. Having memorized a map of Makai, Oriana headed in the direction of the nearest town in Makuro's territory. Once she arrived, the demoness found the nearest bar. Youko and Kuronue had told her that every tavern owner in Makai had at one point or another been an informant. Even retired they still would keep their ear to the ground.

The Severed Hand was the name of the bar she entered in this town. Unlike Sam's tavern which was very quiet, there were many demons inside this one. Quite a few of which turned in her direction when the fox demoness entered. Ignoring them Oriana approached the bar. For a better advantage incase a fright broke out, she stood.

The bartender walked over to her. He had black hair cut to his ears, very pale skin, and his eyes were completely black. He was tall and thin. His void like eyes looked down at her with no hint of emotion. Oriana could tell he was a shadow demon. "What do you want?" he asked in a voice that sounded like the air was being sucked out of him with each word.

Using her fox magic the vixen made herself sound like her husband, knowing his voice would get more information then she could. "Information," she said as emotionless as possible, sliding a few gold coins onto the counter.

Nonchalantly taking the money he inquired softly, "What do you want to know?"

Lowering her/Youko's voice she answered, "An informant by the name of Ura. I want to know where he is."

"An informant to find an informant. What do you need that rat for? You can get merely anything from me," the bartender countered, his arms crossed.

Oriana let out a warning growl, "That doesn't concern you. If you don't know where he is I'll go elsewhere."

The bartender had visible flinched at the sound of her voice. However, he recomposed himself and told her, "Ura works out of his home. He lives West of here, North of the marshes. It's a single hut not near any towns, in an open field. You can't miss it."

The demoness tossed another coin onto the counter and left. Once outside she looked to the position of the sun and made her way westward. The marshes were only half an hour from her current position. It did not take much longer to head North and find the hut and field. Oriana had no intentions of using stealth with this demon. She wanted to make him fear for his life. As out of character as it was for her, she could not help but want to avenge Kuronue. He would do it for her. The vixen walked right up to the front door of the little wooden hut and knocked. She could hear shuffling inside but no one opened the door. Trying the door, she found it to be locked. Holding out her left hand, thin vines grew from under her silver bangle and into the lock. A moment later she heard a click and withdrew the foliage.

Oriana opened the door and stepped inside. The only light inside was coming from the windows.. She could not see Ura or anyone else but she could sense the low demonic energy. No sooner did the demoness take three steps inside did a demon leap from the shadows wielding a dagger. Blocking the over head strike with her forearm against his and stripped him of the blade before throwing him over her shoulder. The demon slammed against the far wall and fell to the floor.

Ura moaned from his seat on the floor. He was a small demon no taller than four and a half feet. In his light brown hair were large round ears. His face was long and thin as was his nose. He was a mouse demon which explained the shadow demon's rat comment.

To keep him from trying to escape, the demoness threw the dagger out the door before closing it with a slam. Oriana then stood in front of the little demon waiting for him to recover.

With a groan, Ura looked up at the cloaked figure before him. He began to visibly shake when he asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Using her own voice this time, Oriana told him, "I am here because you gave Kuronue faulty information, that lead to his death. Youko Kurama nearly died as well. I came to punish you for that, but seeing you I can tell you did not come up with this idea on your own."

"As for who I am," the vixen started unpinning her cloak and threw it aside revealing herself in her Chinese dress plus fox ears to make him believe she was born a demon. After all a human turned demon was normally not very strong or threatening. "I am Youko Kurama's wife."

The little mouse man squeaked in fear, "I-I didn't try to kill them. Kuronue was one of my best customers."

"I'm not a violent person and I abhor killing, but you, Ura, helped in the killing of my closest friend and the near killing of my husband. My morals are willing to change in light of your actions," Oriana threatened as she pulled a brown seed from her hair and rolled it around in her left hand.

"I swear I d-didn't. Maybe they recently c-changed the guard shift," Ura nervously responded.

"I smell a lie," she said calmly as she made the seed in her hand grow. Thick dark red branches stretched and wrapped around her forearm before growing out toward Ura a few feet. At the end of the thick branches mouths with sharp teeth opened and oozed saliva. The saliva dripped onto the floor causing the wood to hiss as it was eaten away. The mouse demon let out a small scream at the sight of the plant. Oriana could even catch the disguisting smell of urine.

"This is a death tree, a carnivorous plant with highly acidic saliva," she introduced the plant, "Now tell me the truth or I'll feed you to my hungry friend here."

"Ah! I was paid to do it! Hundreds I couldn't resist!" the traitor blurted.

"That wasn't so hard. Now who paid you?"

"I can't. They'll kill me!"

"You won't fair much better with me if you don't start talking." She forced the plant to grow nearer. Acid saliva dripped onto the floor beside his foot.

"Alright! It was the SDF!"

Oriana knew who the SDF were. When there was still the full band of thieves she had heard them talking about the SDF. It stood for Spirit World Special Defense Force. They were King Yama's personal army. Beings with incredible power. Their job was to capture or eliminate any great demon threat or criminal. They set the bounties on Youko's and Kuronue's heads. She would not stand a chance against them. There was no way to fully avenge Kuronue. A dangerous thought then crossed her mind.

"Do you know where our hideout is?" she questioned as the hungry mouths loomed over the mouse.

"No," he squeaked.

"I smell another lie," she countered.

"Yes, I know!"

"Did you tell the SDF where it is?" "No, I swear I didn't. They didn't even ask."

Oriana mentally sighed in relief. This time the little demon had not lied. However, he was still a liability. He knew where she and Youko lived. Ura had already proven himself a traitor. The vixen mentally prepared herself for what she would have to do. She did not want to, but for their safety Oriana would have to remove the problem. Looking away and closing her eyes, the demoness commanded the death tree to eat Ura. His screams filled her ears as well as the sound of acid eating away at his flesh and bone. The smell of his burning flesh reached her nose, and it took a lot of willpower not to gag. When the plant had finished, she recalled the plant. Oriana dared not to look at the spot where he had been. There was one last thing she needed to do incase he had written it down. She picked up a burning log from the fire pit in the center of the room and tossed it onto the bed. It quickly caught fire. The demoness immediately left after collecting her cloak, leaving the burning building behind her.

Oriana got halfway home when she collapsed beside a tree and began to cry. She was ashamed and disgusted by herself for having committed an act of murder. After crying for nearly an hour she felt someone pull her hood back. Quickly she looked up and saw that it was Kurama with his hood down as well. The vixen latched onto him and cried on his shoulder. To comfort her Youko rubbed circles on her back and petted her hair.

"My blossom, what's wrong?" the fox asked softly, "I sensed your distress."

"I-I killed him. I killed Ura," she confessed, sobbing into his neck, "I don't want to be a killer."

Youko held her face in his hand and looked her in the eye. As gently as he could the demon explained, "In this world it is sometimes essential to kill in order to survive. Now that you are no longer locked up in a castle you must understand that. Ura is the reason Kuronue is gone. He would have found a way to kill us next."

He kissed her sweetly, "You did the right thing. The first time is always the hardest. Besides you, my blossom are too much of a goodie two shoes to ever kill without a very good reason."

Oriana let out a shaky laugh and hugged him tightly, "Thank you, beloved."

Throwing his and his wife's hoods back up, the king of thieves lifted her up into his arms. "We should head home."

"Youko?" the vixen called softly, "Why were you out this way? You left for Sam's this morning."

"Yes, to find where Ura was located. Seems you beat me to him. I was on my way there when I sensed that you were upset," he explained, "I was relieved to see you were not in any danger when I found you."

"I'm sorry," Oriana apologized, "I'm a pathetic excuse for a demon."

Kurama chuckled, "Not at all. We are not all blood-thirsty killers if you have not noticed."

"I know," she told him with a small smile.

Oriana felt a little guilty about not telling her husband about the SDF's involvement. However, if he knew, he was sure to try and take them on. All she could do to protect him was to remain silent and let him think it was entirely Ura's doing. With any luck the SDF would not try again for awhile.

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Well there it is everyone. I had to do it. Kuronue is dead. I did get one review asking that I leave him alive, but honestly I already planned on having a lot of character development with Oriana after both Kuronue and Kurama have their untimely deaths. Which means next chapter we all know what is going to happen. Now before anyone asks, "Why did you say that the SDF planned on having Kuronue and Kurama killed?" Well everyone, from what we know from the movie, show, and anime, Kuronue was caught while trying to escape from a burglary. And we know for a fact that the jerk of a leader of the SDF had indeed killed Kurama. So why not just say that the SDF was involved in both deaths. Yes I don't want to kill either of them. Especially Youko Kurama. I mean come on. He so *drool* ^_^ Anyway thanks for reading. I already started the next chapter so we'll see how long it takes me to finish it. Until next time.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Holy crap has it really been 5 months since I updated? I am so sorry everyone but at least this chapter is finally done. As for Into the Past I have to work on that one soon too. I've been doing a little secret writing while at the courtesy desk when I close but I still haven't finished the chapter. Anyway here is the latest chapter please enjoy and don't hate me too much for what you're about to read.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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For the last four months, Youko was on his best behavior. In that whole time, he did not go out once to steal anything. Instead he went into town with Oriana when she had to go buy food. At home they tended to the garden by hand and would play long games of chess against each other. Also the king of thieves taught his wife about herbal medicine and what kinds of plants in the demon plain would be helpful if either of them got hurt. There were surprisingly a lot of healing herbs for such a harsh world and each of them had amazing effects.

It appeared that Kurama was simply trying to live a normal life with his bride. Sure it was not so exciting but at least there was a much smaller risk to their lives. Even Oriana did not spend anytime at all inside her workshop. She had been attempting to create a receiver that could connect to Spirit World's computer mainframe. It was impossible to get it working at the moment without a proper transmitter. She had been working on the problem for months restlessly to fix the rather large hiccup. Now the half finished receiver was collecting dust as there was no need for it at the moment.

One day Youko went out by himself. Oriana used this time to work up the courage to ask him something that had been on her mind for awhile now. Since Kurama was no longer stealing, the vixen felt that it would be a good time to start a family. There was no way she would raise a family while he still risked his life. She really wanted to have kids, especially to fill the void that Kuronue left.

While hanging up the laundry, the human turned demon could sense the return of her husband. She turned around excitedly to face him and began, "Beloved, there was something I wanted to ask you." She did not finished however, when she noticed a large scroll of paper in his hand.

Throwing off his hood, Youko greeted his wife with a kiss and a grin. "I have finally found it. After nearly two centuries I have the schematics of Spirit World's Gate of Judgment and King Yama's vault," he proudly proclaimed. He noticed his wife's souring look and inquired, "What is the matter, my blossom?"

"That sounds awfully risky," Oriana responded, "I haven't finished my receiver to hack their systems yet. I wouldn't be able to knock out the security alarms for you."

"They have not updated it in years. The security system is mostly cameras that I can easily dispose of. All I would need is one of your electronic lock picks to get inside the vault from what I've seen," Kurama explained taking hold of her shoulders and calmly telling her seriously, "The objects in King Yama's vault are worth millions. It would be the last heist I would ever have to do. With all of that gold I could finally achieve Kuronue's and my dream."

"But you could just start small with all the gold between here and what is still hidden at the old hideout. Then you could expand by getting money the old fashioned way or even build an army and take land that way. But breaking into King Yama's vault could kill you. You know that Spirit World has a bounty on you," she pleaded.

"You doubt my abilities?" the king of thieves questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"No," Oriana told him, "I just worry. After all we just lost Kuronue and I don't want to lose you too."

Youko gave her a gentle kiss, "You needn't worry. After this you will never have to worry again."

The vixen sighed. She knew that there was no way to win this argument. Her husband, the stubborn demon. "Alright but please let me check the lock pick and help you go over the blueprints."

"Of course," he told her with a smile, "I always enjoy your insight."

Wrapping an arm around her waist, the fox asked, "Now what was it that you wished to tell me?"

Oriana gave him a soft smile and answered, "Nothing important. I just wanted to ask you if you would take me to Yashahana City some time soon."

He bought the lie surprisingly and told her, "When this is over, we can buy Yashahana City."

The two of them sat down at the table in Youko's study, blueprints spread across the table. They went over everything. Finding every camera and the distance between the vault and both King Yama's chamber and the SDF's quarters. It was important that Kurama would be able to get in and back out before either could get to the vault. They spent hours searching for the best route to take. Once both of them had come to an agreement, Oriana went to her new workshop next door. She popped open the metal casing and triple checked that all the wires were in place. The vixen then hooked it up to her computer to make sure that the program was still fully functional. Thankfully everything passed inspection.

Kurama leaned on the doorway to the workshop and told his wife, "I'll be leaving in the morning for the portal." There was a portal a few kilometers away to Spirit World that appeared regularly for several hours at a time.

She stood and approached her husband. Placing a hand on his chest the vixen suggested seductively, "Let's go to bed, beloved."

"An excellent idea, my blossom," the fox replied in a husky voice, lifting her off her feet and heading to their room.

Feeling some dread about him still going, Oriana made sure that they made love that night. When they had finally drifted off to sleep, the crowned queen of thieves clung to Youko the rest of the night.

The next morning the king of thieves stood in the front yard of their house saying goodbye to Oriana. In one pocket he had a folded up sack and in the other was the electronic lock pick.

"I will return before dinner," he told her with a gentle kiss.

"There will be a steak dinner waiting for you," the fox demoness replied. She held out a freshly cut red rose from the garden, "Break a leg."

He smirked taking the beautiful bloom and placed it in his silver locks. Reaching behind her neck, he pulled her in and kissed her passionately. A moment later he released her lips and spoke with his lips brushing against hers, "This is not a play."

Oriana smiled softly, "All the world's a stage and it's people merely players."

Youko smiled back and told her, "I will be back before long. Do not fret too much. I will know."

She delicately touched her mating mark and replied, "I'll try. I love you."

"I love you too," he said giving her one final breathtaking kiss.

The vixen watched as he left through the trees and as his silver and white self vanished among them. When he was no longer nearby, Oriana went back inside. She did what little housework needed to be done. It was midday when that was finished. So far she could not sense anything wrong with Kurama. Thinking for a second she knew that at the moment he would be working his way inside. The next hour the demoness spend reading a human book on Japanese folklore, before she returned to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.

First, she cut the beef like meat into thick steaks and marinated them in herbs and spices from the garden. Once that was finished, Oriana let it sit on the counter and took a bowl with her to the pantry. Inside she collected a few different vegetables and a small bag of rice. After placing everything in the large bowl, she returned to the kitchen, ingredients in hand.

Oriana was four steps from the counter when it suddenly felt like a fist larger than her punched her in the back. Wind completely knocked out of her, she dropped the bowl and fell to the floor with a great cry of pain. The bowl shattered and the various vegetables rolled away under the table and chairs. Her mating mark was burning as she laid on the floor looking at but not seeing the broken pottery. All painful sensations then suddenly left as fast as they came. It left the vixen breathing heavily and sweating.

'Youko,' she thought, 'Youko is hurt. Please no!'

Another wave of pain hit her harder than before. She screamed in agony as her mating mark burned as if she were being stabbed by a white hot poker. It was so painful that she lost consciousness.

Oriana dreamed of darkness completely surrounding her being. Then there was a light, a silver light to be specific. Youko in his spirit fox form ran past her. She ran after him before he got too far away. Her feet not actually touching anything, yet she still propelled herself forward. Kurama continued to run straight into the endless darkness. His fur was singed and he was panting, the vixen noted.

Eventually, he came up to a light in the distance. When he was in front of it, the demoness could see the Human Realm as if looking through a window. It was a portal, Oriana realized. Without much hesitation other than a simple glance back to where he came from, Youko jumped through. The dream Oriana followed after him as they descended through the air. She could not tell where they were except that it was a suburban town. The vixen caught sight of a pregnant human woman with long dark blue hair walking along the sidewalk. The spirit fox made a b-line for this woman.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment. He closed his eyes while he ran and Oriana could hear his voice echo in her mind, "We will be together again, my blossom. I promise." Kurama then jumped into the woman and disappeared.

Oriana immediately woke up. She noticed for the first time since her and Youko had mated, she could not feel his presence. The realization hit her hard and she began to sob openly.

"Youko!" she cried out in vain.

The vixen knew he had perished. She had felt him die. She laid on the floor holding herself as she wept for her lost love. For hours she remained in the same state and even fell asleep in her spot on the floor.

When she woke up the next morning, the tears had stopped but the pain was still there. Oriana felt so alone again. It felt just like when her parents had died. She had hope that she would not longer be alone when she came to live in Demon World but now her dreams were dashed. Once again she was alone. A thought crossed her mind. Perhaps she was not completely alone. Sure they were not exactly close, but he was a friend and ally. More than anything Oriana needed someone to talk to. Plus a stiff drink would not hurt either.

Slowly the crowned queen of thieves got ready. After a long bath and more tears, Oriana went to get dressed. It was only appropriate to wear black. However, she owned nothing in the color. So Oriana pushed open the door to her bat demon friend's room. A fine layer of dust covered his belongings since neither her nor Youko had wanted to enter since Kuronue's death. The vixen touched the pendent close to her neck tentatively as she stepped inside and over to the dresser. She slide open the top drawer and pulled out one of Kuronue's black vests along with one of the leather straps he usually wrapped around his forearm.

Oriana replaced the room as it had been before returning to her room. She dressed in her white training pants and tunic with the bat demon's vest over top. She then braided the leather strap into her hair. Satisfied, she dawned her cloak and left the house.

When Oriana arrived at Sam's tavern, she was relieved to see that it was empty except for the owner. The demoness approached the bar and sat down on one of the stools.

Sam came over with a smirk and asked, "Hey, Ora. What brings you by so early?"

In a small voice Oriana requested, "Sam, can we please talk privately for a little while."

The tavern owner's smile faded and with an understanding tone he said, "Anything for the wife of an old student and friend. I wasn't expecting any customers for another couple of hours."

Sam walked out from behind the counter and over to the front door. He locked it and put a wooden bar down to keep out any of the early morning lushes.

When he returned to the bar he heard Oriana ask, "Can I have a drink too? Something strong."

"I was just about to suggest that," he told her going behind the counter once more.

The dog demon poured what could only be described by Oriana as Demon World vodka, and mixed it with her normal fruity drink. Sitting on the stool beside the young demoness the old tavern owner handed her the drink. She took it and took a long sip, then held it in her hands.

"You don't usually drink. Something is bothering you, obviously. Why come to me?" he questioned curiously.

Oriana's clawed fingers visibly gripped the glass tighter. "Youko's dead," she whispered.

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. His old voice became soft, "You felt everything, didn't you?"

"Yes," she sniffled and took another swig of her drink. The half filled glass was set on the counter as she took a deep breath. "I had a strange dream afterwards. I wanted to ask you about it."

The dog demon took a sip of his ale, "A strange dream? Tell me."

The vixen recounted everything she saw in careful detail. When she was finished Same had a smirk on his face which confused the morning demoness.

"Should have known that old fox wouldn't die so easily," the tavern owner remarked, "Good news, little queen, your king is still alive. Sort of."

"Sort of? What are you talking about?"

"It doesn't happen often, but a spirit animal can merge its soul with another living being so long as it doesn't have a soul yet."

"The unborn child."

"Exactly. Our dear friend Youko was merged himself with a human baby. In ten years he'll regain his powers and be able to return here. Quite the clever way to cheat death. What you saw was his final message to you to let you know he was still alive."

A shaky laugh escaped the vixen's lips. She brought her hand up under her hood and wiped her eyes. "He's really alive then." She sighed and glanced over to her glass. "Ten years, huh?"

"That's not long really," Sam reassured, "Just don't lock yourself up in that hideout. Time will go faster if you get out some. You're always welcome here."

"Thank you. I'll try," Oriana told him sincerely, "Sam, can you please keep an ear out for any word on him. If I know Youko, he can't stay out of trouble."

"I think I can do that," he responded with a smile.

"Thanks," she polished off her glass and stood, "What do I owe you?"

"This one is on the house. A drink between friends, but I expect you back here in the next week," the old dog told her.

With a small laugh and touch of sarcasm the vixen remarked, "Yes, dad."

When she reached the door and took down the bar Sam called after her, "And buy some new clothes. You don't want a price on your head too!"

Oriana waved over her head and left. The tavern owner had filled her with hope of meeting her husband, her beloved Youko again. No longer weighted by despair, she went to the clothing section of the market and began searching for new clothes that she would be able to maneuver in much easier and that also did not look like the uniform Youko's thieves wore. Even though she always wore her cloak outside there were times when the wind moved the fabric or when she had to reach out for something that would make it easy to see what she wore beneath. The vixen ended up buying multiple tank tops and tube tops in red, blue and purples. Also shorts and pants in black and white. Finished, she returned to her empty home.

Oriana sulked around the house for a week. She had cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and even put the blueprints to King Yama's castle away in Youko's study. Maybe they would come in handy one day. The thought that in his new body, Kurama would find himself in trouble with Spirit World again entered her mind.

Even though she continued to be in a depression due to her loneliness, as promised the vixen visited Sam's pub a week later. She arrived midday and as usual simply sat at the bar. The regular group playing cards sat at the table about six feet away. One was an ogre with red skin and large belly. He had brown hair and goatee. He always seemed very friendly. Beside him was a human looking demoness who was always drunk. The lush had long bright green hair pulled back in a ponytail and yellow eyes. On her right was a snake demon with black hair cut short. His skin was green and scaly. Next to him was a very loud drunk with a blue Mohawk that went into two ponytails. He wore a vest with fur around the arm holes and black pants. Oriana tried not to laugh when he spoke because he had an Australian accent. Lastly, was a small child who appeared human but had demon energy. He had brown hair under a puffy hat and stars as demon markings on his cheek. He was not playing however, just watching.

The old tavern owner came over and commented, "Those guys keep me in business. Glad to see you come. How are you feeling?"

"Now that I know he's alive I'm not upset anymore, but I hardly know what to do with myself. I got used to living with someone again," she told him quietly.

"You could always move into town so you'd be around people. Living out in the middle of no where is gonna be lonely," Sam suggested.

With a short laugh the queen of thieves dismissed the proposal, "That's not a smart thing to do considering what I am."

Rubbing the back of his neck he said, "I see your point."

"You'll just have to put up with my company for awhile," Oriana joked.

She spent most of the day in the bar. Sipping at her favorite drink and watching a rerun of an old Dark Tournament. The only reason why she was interested was that there was a human team beating all of their opponents. One member was a pink haired woman which Oriana inwardly was rooting for. In between their matches, the vixen listened to the group behind her as they played cards. They were an amusing bunch.

When it was getting late the thief queen paid her tab and left. On her way out she heard the scrapping of chairs. It appeared the poker game had come to a close. Walking down the street she readjusted her hood making sure that she was covered. One of the demons that had been playing cards was walking a few paces behind her. Oriana recognized the energy. Of course there was no need for alarm since they could simply be heading in the same direction. However, they were still behind her when she reached the edge of the forest. Now she was most certainly on edge. No one lived in this forest but her now.

Several paces into the trees, Oriana was thrown against a tree trunk. Stars formed in front of her eyes from hitting her head against the wood so she could not see her attacker. The smell though was of the snake demon as was the energy signature. "You've been coming around the cccity for awhile now," the snake slurred being drunk, "From the ssssound of your voiccce you're a pretty thing. Let'sss ssssee what you're hiding."

He tore back her hood exposing her. "Oh I ssssee. You usssed to be human. Well from the lookssss of it your demon lover isssn't around ssso I'll have sssome fun with you," he hissed with a wicked grin.

Oriana stood still and calm as she was pressed up against the tree. This time she could not call for Youko. She had to handle this on her own. The snake demon was confused at first by her lack of struggle but decided it did not matter. He would have his fun. As he went to lean in toward her ample chest her voice stopped him.

"I'm sorry," she told him with such sincerity.

The demon leaned back to look at her face, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't like killing," the queen of thieves spoke, "So I'm sorry you must die."

Her aggressor had no chance to react as he felt something force its way out of his body. Stumbling back a few steps, he gasped as little green sprouts popped out of his skin all over his body.

"I can't move! What is this?" he demanded.

"You shouldn't have followed me home and attacked me. I planted the seed of the death plant into you as you assaulted me. Now it has taken root within you. With just one word I can kill you," Oriana explained as she straightened herself and placed her hood back over her head.

"No, pleassse. I'll never attack anyone again! I won't tell a ssssoul what you are or where you live!" he called after her as she walked away.

"It's too late," the vixen solemnly said. A tear slide down her cheek, saddened by the thought of taking another life. However, she knew that to survive here in Demon World without Youko she would need to do this. Clenching her fist the demoness whispered, "Die."

The plant immediately consumed the snake demon and new flowers bloomed out of the corpse. The plant would decompose the body in a day or so. Oriana dared not to turn around and look at it. Instead she continued on her way home. That night she held on to one of the pillows that still smelt of her husband as she went to sleep. It was times like this that Oriana really needed him. Nevertheless, if it meant seeing Youko again, she would survive in this world by any means.

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And there you have it folks. Oriana is alone in Demon World and Kurama is in the body of the unborn Shuichi. There will be a few more chapters of Oriana's adventures in Demon World and then I'll reunite them. Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays everyone! Until next time.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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Oriana did not allow the snake demon's attack keep her from going into town. The next week she visited Sam, the card playing demons had noticed their friend's absence. Luckily, they never said anything to her. They must not have noticed him following her home. In fact it was not for another two weeks before one of the poker playing demons mentioned anything about it.

While sitting at the bar, Oriana could hear the group of demons behind her complaining about their missing player. "Iza hasn't shown up in weeks," the red demon commented making the vixen stiffen a little.

"The bloke probably corked it on the way to the boozer," the large Mohawk sporting demon commented with his thick Australian accent.

"It's not any fun going against you two bozos. We need to find another person," the drunken demoness slurred.

"Oi, you over there at the bar! You got any coin to play cards, mate?" the Aussie shouted, "You're in 'er enough."  
The queen of thieves nearly jumped out of her skin as he called attention to her. Looking up she saw a smirk on Sam's face. She stuck her tongue out at him before turning around. "I have enough money to play, but are you sure you want me to walk away with more?" Oriana questioned actually enjoying the idea of finding another way to spend her long ten years.

"You're female. Good, we need another. Too many dicks in this game already," the green haired drunk said nearly getting a laugh out of the vixen.

"Sounds like a challenge and don't mind my wife. She's had a little too much to drink," the ogre type demon told her with a smile.

"There's no way you're gonna beat Chu," the small child boosted.

Oriana pulled out the chair between the kid and the red skinned demon and sat down. "How much to pay in?" she inquired.

"One silver," the blue haired demon answered. "You gonna take that hood down, Sheila?"

"I'm kind of ashamed of my looks. Sorry but my hood will remain in place," the vixen quickly answered. As nice as they seemed she was not going to expose herself.

"As long as you ain't got one of those jagans under there don't bother me none," he replied.

"Only two eyes. So don't worry," she tossed a silver coin into the center of the table. The other three adults followed suit.

The plump red skinned demon began to shuffle the cards. "Welcome to our little club. I'm Enki by the way and this lovely flower beside me is my wife Kokou," he introduced them as his wife merely took a swig from a rather large sake bottle.

"Name's Chu the Drunken Fist Master," the one with the Mohawk told her.

"And I'm Rinku. One day I'll be as great a warrior as Chu!" the child announced with enthusiasm.

Realizing it was her turn the queen of thieves told them, "My friends call me Ora."

Enki began to deal out the cards, "Well Ora, hope you don't mind going home with a lighter purse."

Oriana just laughed as she lifted her cards to see what she had. Two queens and two fives was not bad. The other demons noticed the expensive ring on her left and her two bracelets. They each thought that this demoness was rich and would have plenty of money to win.

By the end of the day the group had gotten to know her and visa versa. Of course she still did not tell them what she was or who she was married to. They were a little annoyed that she left with a heavier coin purse than she arrived with. In fact the group had Rinku feel under her hood for a third eye which he of course had not found. She did have the perfect poker face which gave her an advantage. They would have to look else where for tells if they wanted to win.

As she made her way down the streets. Oriana waved back at her new friends and called, "You can try to win back your money next week!"

So every week they would sit at the same table in Sam's tavern and play cards. Some times Oriana lost and others she won. Overall she came out even because she always won back the money she lost the previous week. They all got along so well she even considered removing her hood after meeting up for so long, but thought better of it. Humans turned demon were not well liked. In fact half demons were held in a higher regard and they were often killed on sight if discovered. It would be best if she did not risk exposing herself.

For five years Oriana went through the same basic routine. In the morning a few days a week, she would train by herself. She did her chores and would go into town a couple days a week. One to play cards and the other to food shop. Then there were the times the vixen would go to bed at night and cry silently to herself. Those were the times when the absence of both her best friend and husband would weigh heavily on her soul. If she did not have the knowledge that Youko was alive, the demoness was sure that she would have given up a long time ago. Every day she woke up she would count down another day toward the end of the ten year wait. However, there was always the possibility that he might not be able to return right away. What if she would have to wait even longer? What if he could not make it back to the Makai at all? Or worse, what if Kurama got caught be Spirit World?

While cleaning Youko's study one day, the fox demoness caught sight of the rolled up blueprints to the Gate of Judgment sitting on a shelf. She knew that the child that Kurama had placed his soul in was now five years old. Another five years and he would have access to his demon powers once more. Then he would be able to return to Demon World. Though knowing her husband he would probably get into trouble during that time. If he got caught by Spirit World they would judge them based on all his past crimes. King Yama could imprison him for life or even worse, execute him. If that happened she would never know. It seemed like these thoughts plagued her more and more as time went by.

Taking the scroll of paper she brought it to her workshop in the next room. If Spirit World found him, she wanted to know and she did not want them to know all of his past crimes. The only way that could happen would be if she got her connection to the Spirit World network working. To do that Oriana would have to do the one thing she never wanted to do after she had trained with Kuronue, break into somewhere and steal. It was to protect and find Youko though, so the demoness was willing to do this.

Oriana spent days inside her workshop making sure her receiver and transmitter worked perfectly. Even once that was finished, she spent another two days going over the blueprints. She had to make sure that she knew exactly where she was going to avoid suspicion when she moved through King Yama's palace for her plan to work. The only time the vixen left the house was to play cards and once that was finished she immediately returned to her work. Her new friends noticed that she Oriana was a little distracted, but she assured them that it was nothing. After that they dropped the subject. Their concern for her well being was heartwarming for the vixen. It was good to have friends that she could count on again.

Completely satisfied with her plan and her equipment, the queen of thieves prepared to leave for the portal to the Spirit Realm. Oriana dressed in a blue tank top and white pants that tapered at her ankles. She was going to leave her cloak at home. It would only get in the way. The only thing she needed was her over the shoulder bag that she placed her equipment in including a new little toy. The demoness knew that Spirit World had been keeping digital copies of files on the living for years now thanks to Sam. So to remove Kurama's from the data base she would be moving the files into a homemade flash drive. Because of her reservations about stealing, Oriana wanted a way to return anything she would take once she and her husband were together again.

Taking a deep breath, the queen of thieves ran into the forest toward the portal that Youko had used to enter Spirit World. She was sure that if she were still human, her heart would be pounding in her chest about now. Oriana was incredibly nervous but knew she had to do this for Kurama. In front of her she could see the portal appear. Picking up speed, she leapt through the portal. On the other side was a bright world contrasting the mostly dark Demon World. The ground was made of solid clouds and the Gate of Judgment loomed before her. Behind her she could hear the water of the River Styx which stretched off into the distance.

Bringing her middle and index finger of her right hand to her forehead the demoness whispered, "Fox magic transform." A cloud of smoke surrounded her body. When the smoke cleared the vixen had taken the form of one of King Yama's ogres. The form she had taken had blue skin, was very muscular, male, had two horns on top of her head and no hair. The demoness' shoulder bag was hidden from sight by the fox magic.

Oriana walked up to the gate and knocked on the door a little franticly. "Hey let me in! I got locked out again!" she shouted, using a deep male's voice she had heard in town before.

The gate swung open slowly leaving enough room for her to enter. There was an ogre on the other side that shut the door after she was inside. Once the gate was closed once more he turned his gaze to her looking rather annoyed. "Get back to work before King Yama or Prince Koenma find out," he scolded.

"Thanks," Oriana said before hurrying deeper into the Gate of Judgment.

Originally, the queen of thieves had planned on calmly walking to her destination. However, it appeared that all of the ogres were constantly running about in a panic. Quickly navigating though the halls, she could not believe her luck. It seemed her plan was working and that she would actually make it out of there alive. After a few twists and turns and pushing past several ogres, the vixen found herself outside the IT room where the computer mainframes were stored.

Slipping inside, Oriana could see a desktop computer on a high table in the center of the room. Behind that in a semicircle were large computer mainframe towers. No one else was in the room making the demoness smile to herself at her luck. She locked the door behind her as smoke surrounded her once more. Returning to proper appearance would conserve energy and being deep in enemy territory that would be the smart thing to.

The first thing she set to work on was connecting the transmitter. Removing the small device from her bag she approached the mainframe towers. There were small steel plates on the front of each one. Looking over each one Oriana found the plate that said Prince Koenma's Office. From what the vixen knew about the prince he was very arrogant and not very clever. His computer would be the simplest to hack into. If she was correct than his password would be easy to guess and he would never know she broke in.

Slipping between the towers, the queen of thieves positioned herself behind the tower that processed for Koenma's personal use. After quickly looking over all the ports and wires in front of her, she removed a panel near the bottom. Oriana disconnected a couple of wires inside and then reconnected them into her homemade transmitter. Once connected the demoness flicked a switch on the side of the small device. A small green light lit up signaling that is was working. With a small grin to herself, the vixen placed the panel back into place.

Returning once more to the other side, the vixen pulled out her next toy. She plugged the flash drive into the desktop computer in the center of the room. With dexterous fingers only someone with her hacking experience could achieve, Oriana brought up the digital personal files of her husband and anyone else that his name appeared in. As far as she was concerned Spirit World would have no record that Youko Kurama had ever existed. The fox demoness was surprised that her own file had not come up. Apparently Reikai had no knowledge of their marriage.

Out of curiosity she pulled up her own file. Spirit World had labeled her as missing and a case was created to try and find her because they knew a demon was involved. Her home and assets were being preserved incase they did every find her. It was nice of them but Oriana knew she would probably never see any of it again not that she really had any want to. Closing her file, the vixen moved all the others onto her flash drive. Once that was completed she removed all traces of the files' existence from the mainframes and that she had ever been in there.

The easy part was now over and the next part was going to be more nerve racking. After returning the flash drive to her bag, Oriana dawned her ogre disguise once more. Unlocking the door, she slipped out into the hallway and briskly made her way to her next destination. The physical archives were nearly on the other side of the palace and the quickest way there was for her to go past Prince Koenma's office. Doing her best to calm her nerves, the demoness hurried down the halls and around corners. The faster she got out of there the better.

The queen of thieves was making her way down the hallway in which the Spirit World prince's office was locate when a door ahead of her opened. A large blue ogre with long blonde hair and bald spot on top of his head stepped out first quickly followed by the tiny Prince of Spirit World. Oriana was not surprised to see he was in the form of a toddler. Youko had once remarked on the Spirit Realm being run by a child. Thinking fast the vixen bowed as Koenma and his servant passed. Neither passerby paid any attention to the bowing blue ogre and continued on their way. Releasing the breath she was holding, she once again moved down the hallway.

The door to the archives came into view after another corner and slipped inside. There were only a few ogres inside from what the demoness could sense. The room was filled with rows and rows of bookshelves with scrolls and numerous volumes of booked lined upon them. Oriana traveled passed many of the rows still disguised as an ogre. There were several people in the room with her that she could sense. Finally she came across a section filled with personal files on demons. The queen of thieves looked over the files sitting sideways on the shelves. Glancing over them she looked for the K's. It took awhile considering how many demons were on record there, but eventually the section she was looking for came into view. Quickly looking over the files she saw one that was a little thicker than the rest. Smiling to herself she removed it from the shelf. Printed on the front of it was 'Youko Kurama.' Not even bothering to look through it, the queen of thieves stuffed it into her bag.

Feeling incredibly victorious Oriana glanced around to make sure the coast was clear. Relieved to find no one had seen her steal the file, she hurried out of the archives and through the hallways back toward the gate entrance. The return to the large doors was uneventful. The vixen slipped back outside without being noticed and ran for the portal to the demon plain which closed behind her.

When Oriana was back in Demon World she was out of breath from the adrenaline and leaned forward onto her knees to calm herself. She now understood why Youko and Kuronue liked to steal stuff. It was quite a rush. However, the vixen swore to herself that she would never do that again. She had gotten lucky this time. Very lucky.

The queen of thieves made her way home through the dense forest that surrounded the cottage. The clearing came into view and she knew without a doubt that she had done it. She had stolen from Spirit World and made it back alive. The first thing she did was approach the grave marker for Kuronue. Oriana knelt down in front of it with a sad smile.

A small shaky laugh escaped her lips before she spoke softly, "Kuro, you would be so proud of me today. I broke into the Gate of Judgment and made it back. I used everything you taught me. I wish you were here so I could see your face. I miss you, Kuro." The demoness sniffled and touched the pendent close to her neck. "Just five more years, Kuro and I can be with him again. Now that I have access to Reikai's systems I might be able to find him if he gets into trouble again. Which we both know he will." Reaching back into her hair and pulled out a small brown seed. It grew in her hand into a beautiful red rose which she set down against Kuronue's headstone. "Rest peacefully, my friend."

Inside her home, the now apply named queen of thieves made her way to the vault where Youko and Kuronue's spoils were. Oriana unlocked the heavy wooden door and then inside on a table she set the folder with Kurama's life and crimes inside and the flash drive. They would remain safe in the and the demoness had no intentions of looking through either.

Once the vault was safely locked up, the vixen went to her workshop and sat down in front of her laptop. As soon as the computer was booted up, she connected to the receiver for Spirit World. It connected almost immediately much to the demoness' relief. A log in screen appeared looking for a password. Oriana smiled and typed in 'PrinceKoenma,' but an error screen appeared. Humming to herself she then typed in 'KOENMA' figuring he probably thought caps lock would make him clever. Just as she thought the password worked and she could see the prince's desktop. Now she was set. Anything that would come up on Koenma's computer she would be able to see. So if Spirit World found her husband she would know about it. Satisfied with her work, the vixen logged off and shut her laptop. She was another step closer to being with Youko again. Now all she had to do was just wait another five years or so. That should not be so hard.

* * *

Thanks for hanging in there guys until I could update again. My computer is acting up really bad. It was difficult to even type this up because it kept stalling and would not catch everything I was typing or the cursor would jump to another part of the screen. So please ignore any typos you see. I fixed what I could. I'm going to start doing larger leaps in time since I'm sure we all miss our favorite fox demon. Next time Oriana has only one more year until Kurama is 10 for instance. Thanks for reading guys. Until next time.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own the manga/anime Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Tagashi. I do however own my story and my oc Oriana.**

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After all these years Oriana's laptop was in need of replacement parts. Eye twitching the demoness sat in her chair staring at a black screen. Could it just not hold out for one more year? One more year and Youko's human form would have been ten years old. At least the transmitter in Spirit World was still working fine and not in need of fixing. That would have been far too much trouble. She was not even sure that she was willing to make another trip to Spirit World. The laptop was an easy fix, just frustrating that the maintenance was needed. With an exasperated sigh, she stood up and left the room. Grabbing her coin purse and shoulder bag, Oriana headed for the front door. She put on her cloak over her red tube top and white pants before lifting the hood over her head.

The desert city was busy today. The market place was filled with a great many demons bustling about amongst the stalls. Weaving her way through the various and many bodies, Oriana made her way to one of her favorite of all the stalls. The plump cat demon with gold fur sat behind his table that had a large variety of computer parts across it along with many other electronic devices. Unlike most animal spirits that the queen of thieves was used to being around, the merchant was less human looking and more cat like in appearance. His whole body was covered in fur and even had a little pink nose in the center of his face. Though he had fur the merchant still wore fine clothes fitting of his class status.

"Ah my favorite customer, the mysterious demoness with a love of electronics. How can I help you today?" the feline purred in greeting.

"I need a few replacement parts. A backlight, power supply, two sticks of four gig ram with sixteen prongs and a cooling fan for a 5536-5105 (my actual laptop model number J). If you at least have something for a similar computer I can Frankenstein it," she told him, listing off the part she needed and others that she might as well replace while the computer was apart.

The merchant gave her an odd look at the mention of the fictional character from the Human World but did not comment on it. "Let me see what I have back here," he told her as he began to sort through boxes behind him.

A few minutes later he turned back around with all the items in hand. He laid them all out on a clear spot on the counter. None of the items were in boxes so the vixen had to inspect them. Looking them over she saw they were in good condition, but had no company names or serial numbers on them.

"How much for the lot?" Oriana inquired.

Playing with his whiskers he responded, "I'd say about three gold and four silver pieces."

"I would pay that if these came from the Human World, but these are from here. Yes, I know that the new city to the West has been producing computer components," Oriana said calmly, "There was no risk in obtaining these items so I will only give you two gold coins and that is being generous."

The cat demon growled softly before he sighed, "I should know by now that I can't fool an eye like yours. Alright two gold."

Oriana pulled out two gold pieces and dropped them into the merchant's furry paw, "Good try though." She then collected the parts and placed them in her bag. The demoness left the booth and started through the crowd back toward the city entrance. Behind her she could hear a question that made her blood run cold.

"Have you seen a female that never shows her face? She's good with computers and would more then likely come here," a gruff voice asked.

"You just missed her. She went that way." the tech merchant responded.

"Hey you!" the gruff voice shouted.

If they knew about her that would not be good. So in self preservation she ran. Youko would not send people to look for her, he would come himself. As she quickly weaved through the crowded street, the demoness could hear people shouting as they got shoved out of the way. Her feet pumping beneath her she rounded a corner into the garment section of the marketplace. Oriana knew exactly where she needed to go and do. Continuously weaving through bystanders, the vixen hurried to the stall that sold cloaks. Using the skills that Kuronue taught her, she grabbed a dark green hooded cloak and left more than enough money on the table for it. The act was done all in the time it took Oriana to hurry past.

New garment in hand, the demoness made her way toward an alleyway between two of the buildings that bordered the market. Much to Oriana's luck there was a sleeping homeless demon leaning back against one of the brick walls. Swiftly, the queen of thieves dressed the sleeping demon in her old cloak keeping the rose pin for herself. Once he was completely covered she put on the green cloak, pinning it closed with her pin. Carefully Oriana exited the alley and blended into the crowd. The shouts of her pursuers could still be heard behind her far back in the crowd.

Knowing there was only one safe place in town, the vixen briskly moved through the demons toward Sam's tavern. When she entered there were not many people inside since it was still early in the day. Not even her poker friends were there. Oriana took a seat at the bar like she used to.

The old dog demon approached her with a smile on his face. "New cloak, Ora?" he inquired.

"Sam, someone is looking for me and it's not Yo. Get me a mug of beer. I'm afraid they might look for me in here," the demoness requested.

The bartender set a mug of draft beer in front of her. "Don't worry. You're safe here," he told her confidently.

"Thanks, Sam," she said as the door opened.

Two burly demons entered with sneers on their faces. One was a green ogre while the other was human looking but smelt of dirt and earth giving away his element. Both approached the bar that Sam was nonchalantly cleaning.

"We're looking for a female that doesn't show her face. Smart. Good with computers. We almost had the little bitch but she gave us the slip," the earth elemental said as he stood beside the seated Oriana.

"She's human so she can't go running around without that cloak on. Someone's gonna spot her," the ogre added.

"Can't say I've seen a human woman running around town. Something like that would stand out," the dog demon responded in a bored manner, "Not to mention a human wouldn't stand a chance running around a demon city. She'd be someone's meal before you find her."

Unfazed by Sam's words the ogre turned his attention to the covered bar patron and leaned around to try and see under the hood. "What about you? You seen a human female?"

Oriana raised her head and took a swig of beer. The hand grasping the glass was male. Using Kuronue's voice and face, Oriana looked over at the ogre with a scowl. "I've had a rough week and I have no time for your shit. I haven't seen any human. Now get out of my face."

Startled because the ogre had been hoping for the cloaked person to be his target, he backed up nearly knocking over a barstool. Quickly recomposing himself he said, "Well if either of you see her bring her to us. Lord Yomi wants her brought to Gandara."

"These are Lord Raizen's lands. I would be careful if I were you," Sam warned them.

The two thugs laughed and left the bar. Oriana let out a sigh of relief as she readjusted her hood, her hands female once more.

"That was a pretty good trick. Never would have guessed you learned that ability after you mated with Yo," Sam complimented.

"It's been helpful," Oriana told him using her own voice, "They said 'Lord' Yomi sent them and they knew about my computer skills and where to possibly find me. That Yomi is the Yomi that was apart of Yo's band isn't he?"

With an exasperated sigh the old dog walked around the bar and sat down on the stool beside the vixen, "Yes, the new up and coming lord of Makai is the Yomi you used to live with."

"Why not tell me? Didn't you know about the assassin?" Oriana asked becoming more nervous by the second.

"Yes, and I was just as shocked to learn he was alive though he was gravely injured. As for not telling you, I didn't want to give you anymore worries," Sam explained. He paused in thought then asked, "How do you know about the assassin?"

"I'm not stupid, Sam," she replied lifting her head up enough so that the demon could see her smirk.

"You're too smart for your own damn good," the older demon laughed, "Probably one of the things Yo loves about you."

Oriana chuckled at the compliment. Feeling a bit better and knowing now what she was up against, the former human relaxed. "Chu or Enki would not be coming by today, would they?"

"No they usually don't come by other than their poker game days. Why do you want to know?" Sam curiously asked.

"Another person leaving the city with me would decrease suspicion. However, I should be alright by myself for now. After all they think a male wears this cloak," the queen of thieves explained.

"Just be careful heading home," the dog told her with concern, "If Yo comes back in a year and finds out something happened to you, he'll come after me."

With a laugh she responded, "I'll be fine. When I come into town next I'll be more heavily armed. Yo and Kuro trained me to fight and defend myself. I won't disappoint them."

With a bearded smile and a nod he gave his blessing, "You've waited long enough. Get moving."

"Thank you, Sam. You're a good friend," Oriana swiftly made her exit.

With expert skill the fox demoness blended into the crowd. Walking at a confident pace, she weaved her way toward the edge of the city. Luckily Oriana made her way out and into the desert without incident. She could not even catch their scent anywhere near her. Not much later, the vixen made it home safely. Her new green cloak was hung up next to the door, before she made her way to her workshop. Her shoulder bag was set on the table. The bundle of fabric filled with computer parts was given a scornful heated look.

"I'll never go back to the swindler again," the queen of thieves growled to herself. Her heated gaze was turned to her laptop, "You better not break on me again. I really don't want to have to go to the next nearest town for parts."

During the years the quiet of the house made Oriana fill it with noise from time to time to keep her from feeling so lonely. She started by playing music from her laptop often but then eventually it grew into something else. Without anyone around the house to talk to, the vixen often spoke to herself or inanimate objects.

Deciding to fix her computer at a later time, Oriana exited the cottage she called home. Stepping into her and Youko's garden, she searched for a particular plant. A small smile crossed her lips as she spotted the white and hot pink among the reds and greens. The small pink toothy mouths of the venus fly traps were open wide waiting for some of Demon World's large insects to come by. White flowers stretched up from the centers of the carnivorous plant's base. The vixen knelt down and grasped one of the white blooms in her clawed hand. Standing up she crushed the flower and removed the small black seeds before dumping the remains onto the ground.

"Perhaps it's time to increase the security around here," she said to herself.

Oriana kept to her usual routine of going into town twice a week. Every time she entered the town, the vixen could smell the two demons that worked for Yomi prowling about. It seemed that they had no intention of leaving town until they found her again. The demoness went about her normal routine for weeks before one day she could sense two demons crossing the desert one hundred yards behind her. It appeared that they finally figured it out that she was the one beneath the green cloak. Well if they wanted her they would have to work for it.

Taking off as fast as she could, Oriana hurried toward the forest that she resided in. Her pursuers increased speed as well but had trouble keeping up with the swift fox. As soon as she was in her and Kurama's territory of the forest, the vixen leapt up into the trees. From there she could see the two demons that worked for Yomi come running into view. They both stopped suddenly and looked around.

"Where did that bitch go?" the earth elemental swore loudly.

"She's around her somewhere. She's fast for a human but she'll run out of energy sooner or later. Keep moving," the ogre told his companion with a shove.

Manipulating some nearby bushes, Oriana made it appear as if she had moved behind them. This caught her pursuer's attention. The pair hurriedly jumped toward the bushes only to have thick green vines wrap around their waists and lift them into the air. They shouted in surprise but their screams turned into ones of terror as the vines hauled them back toward a nearby clearing and over to the large waiting mouths of Oriana's Aphrodite fly traps. They tried to struggle free but the vines only tightened to keep its prey from escaping. The vines then released their prisoners unexpectedly, dropping the victims into the hungry pink mouths. The large toothy jaws clamped tightly shut and their screams no longer broke the silence of the forest. The plant's acid would dissolve all organic material inside them. Tomorrow she would come back to see if anything was left of Yomi's men. The vixen walked back home brushing a few tears from her eyes. It was still hard to kill to survive. That was two more lives she had taken in order to see her husband again. Sometimes she thought about never leaving the forest again so that no one would bother her, but knew that the solitude would be too much to bare. Besides her friends and Sam would probably come looking for her if she did not come to town after a while.

The next morning the fox demoness dressed in her training clothes. After checking the remains of her demon fly traps she intended to do her regular training. It seemed now more then ever it was important for her to remain strong and prepared for a fight. Since she was not leaving the safety of her territory Oriana did not bother with her cloak.

When she reached the clearing, with a wave of her hand, the vixen retracted the demon plants. One the ground where the fly traps had been were several items. The vixen knelt down to analyze the objects. A couple of small knives, a belt buckle, a few gold and silver coins, and two small circular objects. The little silver disks confused and interested the demoness. She picked one of them up between her claws to get a better look at them and inspected both sides. There was circuitry on both sides and the smallest transmitter she had ever seen, still transmitting.

Out of shock, the queen of thieves dropped the disk. These demons had tracking devices on them. Now whoever was keeping an eye on their movements saw that they had stopped in the middle of a forest overnight. They could even know that they were dead. Oriana had to think quickly. She had to make it appear that they were moving once more and get these devices far away from her home. Perhaps she could hurry into town and slip them into a traveler's pocket. However, that would waste time getting her cloak from the house and those tracers have been in this forest long enough. She did not want anyone snooping around here.

While the queen of thieves weighed her options, demon energy at the other end of the forest caught her attention. There was a group of demons on the edge of her and Youko's territory. Thanking her luck she hurried in their direction. When Oriana was close she masked her own energy the best she could and leapt up into the trees to observe them. They appeared to be a band of traveling thieves. The group had set up tents in the clearing for the night. These guys would work perfectly for what she had in mind. Carefully, using all the skill that she had, the vixen slipped down into some bushes behind a couple of the resting bandits. They were talking loudly about the next place they planned on raiding. The two appeared to still be drunk from the night before. Taking the transmitters in her left hand and using the small vines from her bracelet, she slipped the disks into each of the unsuspecting thieves pockets. With the offending transmitters safely away from her and her home, Oriana slipped back into the forest to head home. She had gone only several feet before a voice called after her.

"What do you think you are doing, vixen?" a deep voice questioned darkly.

Calmly the former human turned around to face the demon who spotted her. The demon was dressed in a tattered brown cloak and brown and white fighting clothes beneath. He had black and white hair spiked high above his head. His hair added some height to his short stature. The demon's red eyes narrowed as she analyzed him.

Sweeping her arms out to her sides to show she was not armed and to exaggerate her point Oriana told him, "This is my husband's and my territory. I simply wanted to see who was trespassing. I will not kill you or your band if you leave peacefully by midday which is fast approaching. If you continue heading East you will run into many traps and carnivorous plants that protect this area. I'd rather not have to clean up the mess."

"Who do you think you are to threaten me unarmed," the red eyed demon said placing his right hand on the sword at his left hip.

With a smirk she replied, "Oriana Kurama. The queen of thieves and just like my mate I am hardly unarmed in this forest."

His eyes lowered to her collar bone and caught sight of what was clearly the infamous bandit's mating mark. As their eyes met again he commented, "Your mate is dead and you are out numbered, vixen. A fight would not be in your favor if they discovered your presence."

The demoness' smirk faded into a smile, "My mate is alive but indisposed of for a decade and if we can avoid a fight that would be preferable. Thieves are always looking for something, perhaps you would leave in exchange for something I could provide."

The shorter demon scrutinized the former human before him. He knew by looking at her that she was not born a fox demon. However, that did not make her weak. This vixen was as strong as the demon she mated and Youko Kurama had been a powerful demon. Perhaps this vixen could be more useful for something he was looking for then risk trying to fight her in her element.

"How are you with information?" the ruby eyed demon inquired, removing his hand from his sword.

"I am well read in information concerning Makai and often visit Youko's old informant. So it depends on what you're looking for really," Oriana replied relieved she had avoided an unnecessary fight.

"Someone to implant a jagan eye," he told her seriously.

"Something to find another thing or person you don't want to openly ask about then," the queen of thieves commented off handedly which earned her a glare. She held her hands up in defense and let out a laugh, "It's a very risky surgery from what I've read, but I have heard of a surgeon that would be up for such a task."

"Where can I find them?"

"Thieves have honor and I want your word that your band and you will leave this forest by midday."

"You have my word, vixen. Now tell me."

"His name is Shigure and from what I have heard is that he lives deep in Mukuro's territory on the South Western side."

The demon's face almost seemed to relax at the thought of being able to find what he had been searching for. Without another word he turned to leave. He paused though when the vixen spoke up.

"You know my name that not many are privileged to hear. May I at least know yours to complete our deal?" she questioned.

"Hiei," he supplied.

"I hope you find what you are truly looking for Hiei," Oriana told him before turning away herself and disappearing into the forest.

The demoness made it home without being followed. She waited outside until the sun was high in the sky and to her relief the band of trespassing thieves were heading West and away from her home. Oriana could barely contain her excitement. Not only was she leading Yomi away from her home, but she also managed to convince someone with words to leave her territory. It was unbelievably lucky that Hiei had asked her about something Sam had told her about in passing just a few days ago. Whatever Hiei was looking for had to be important for him to risk such painful and deadly surgery. Certainly more important than something of monetary value. The vixen really did hope that he would find what he was looking for. Perhaps he was like her and searching for any sign of his mate.

Once Oriana could sense the band of thieves completely left the trees that she was in control of, she summoned a decent amount of youki. Then using that energy she reached out to the borders of her and Youko's part of the forest. The trees around the edges grew thicker with their branches intermingling in the canopy. Thorny vines grew up from the ground and wrapping around the tree trunks and growing between them. Now the forest was sealed off from any further trespassers. Only her and Kurama would be able to come and go from there.

"One more year," Oriana sighed as she prepared to train for the day.

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Ok so Oriana has officially been on her own for nine years in the demon world. Now she has met not only Chu, Rinku, Enki and his wife but also now Hiei. Of course we all know from the show and manga that Kurama doesn't make it back after ten years and that's not going to change. Soon we'll be moving into the story line of the show but that's not for at least another two chapters. Next chapter will lead up to that time. So sadly poor Oriana has to be on her own for a few more years still. Now the question is can she survive with Yomi looking for her for some unknown reason and Hiei knowing the area she lives and most likely where Youko Kurama would have stashed his vast fortune. Thanks for reading. Until next time.


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